


Si Cela Est Noël II

by AnniKay



Series: French Lessons [9]
Category: Glee
Genre: Christmas, F/F, F/M, Hanukkah, M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2018-08-08 01:09:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 182,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7737205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnniKay/pseuds/AnniKay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Winter Break for the College Sophomores of the Learning French Series.<br/>A time to reconnect with family and friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own Nothing…Murphy, Falchuk, and Brennen along with Fox and others own this fandom and all the characters there in…Anything you recognize obviously belongs to them  
> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****
> 
> Special thanks to Isis Aurora Tomoe who is my current Beta rock star

Hark The Herald, Angels Sing (Judy Garland)

Antwan Berry PoV

I was amazed by how quickly the surrogacy and in vitro process went when one had significantly more money. Then again maybe the process had just been regulated and streamlined since the last time Hiram and I had had a child. But no matter the reason, when Hiram and I had started the process that would bring Rachel into the world, I'd been twenty-eight years old. When I held my newborn daughter for the first time, I'd been thirty-one. But the second go round, the triplets were born less than a year after our first meeting with Compassionate Beginnings. We'd very much lucked out with our surrogate. Phoebe was a seasoned veteran of the process. She helped us by setting limits that made it easier for her trust that we'd be good parents, to the children she carried and yet maintain her own distance so that she wouldn't be more than a little tempted to keep the babies herself.

She did let us come and see her to help with things like figuring out which homeopathic remedy worked best to relieve her morning sickness. Phoebe's was far more aggressive than Shelby's had been. She suffered with at least mild nausea every morning for several hours and then she would have vomiting spells depending on what scents she encountered over the course of the day. Thankfully, we found that a combination of candied ginger consumed as soon as she got up and ginger and peppermint teas sipped throughout the day worked to keep her from revisiting every meal she ate. Thankfully, about halfway through the second trimester her morning sickness finally fully abated. It was so strange to both Hiram and I that while she was only four and half months along she really looked closer to eight. The fetal screenings were undertaken at that time and we held our breaths. Phoebe understood and agreed with our desire for amniocentesis and thankfully the babies didn't have any of the genetic markers we were worried about. Since we'd had our DNA mapped at the facility where Rachel's had been tested and marked, we were able to find out early that while the girl was Hiram's and the twin boys were mine, she only carried the trait for NPD, which meant that the chance of her manifesting the disorder were reduced to almost zero.

During the time immediately after the testing, we started looking for a contractor to do renovations on our new home and create a nursery as well as making sure that Rachel had a space that would encourage her to feel welcome. We hoped that she might visit more often if the space was lovely enough. We asked George for his recommendation. He'd been in Lima long enough to know which of the available general contractors would be worth the money and which ones would be comfortable working for us. He had already built up the reputation of being honest and more than good at his job. People had begun to call him the Mike Holmes of Allen County and call him in to fix other contractor's messes. Hiram and I were both surprised when George took on the job himself. He and his crew were perfect, professional, efficient and they gave advice when we asked for it…but at no time did they try and convince us that we had to take it. They didn't even mind that Hiram was handling the decorating aspect on his own. We worked together with George and his crew and by the time Phoebe went on bed rest at thirty-one weeks, we were ready for the babies to come home. By the time the babies were ready to come home six weeks later, Rachel's space was ready and waiting on her.

Phoebe confided in us that she was pretty sure that our pregnancy would be her last surrogacy. She'd built up a really nice nest egg, she had helped four families, and as she got older each pregnancy was harder on her body. She'd carried multiples before and had not needed to go on bed rest. Triplets meant that she would have to have a C-Section…that plus the fact that she'd almost had to be hospitalized had sealed the deal for her. We did help her as much as possible. We hired a care nurse for her and a maid service to clean her home while she was laid up. She went into labor on a Saturday afternoon. We were there with and took her to the hospital. Phoebe was so well prepare. She already had her 'go bag' and everything else she would want or need ready. So it was a matter of helping her to get cleaned up and dressed and taking her to St. Ritas. We were very grateful that our surrogate was willing to deliver the babies in Lima rather than near her home in Dayton. It meant so much to us that we'd be able to be close to the babies no matter how long they needed to be in the hospital after they were born. While neither Hiram nor I were catholic, it was the best hospital in Lima, besides Becah, Carole and Santiago all worked there.

I could not even believe how quickly things happened. We called Carole on the way to the ER just to see if she was working. It was a blessing that she was. Carole had us through the admitting process and up to the maternity floor or 'The Birth Place' in a matter of what seemed like minutes. The doctor and nurses checked Phoebe out very soon after she was hooked up to the monitors. We were as nervous as we'd been with Rachel. Everything in the room other than the bed and the pregnant lady on it seemed completely different than things had been twenty-years before. While the contractions were regular and less than ten minutes apart, the doctor, hers and the attending physician decided to let her progress a little further before preparing her for surgery. They recommended one course of antenatal steroids to help the babies lungs develop to lower the risk of any of them having serious breathing problems.

After the first shot was delivered, the nurses concentrated on pain management. Everyone was hopeful that Phoebe would make it the twenty four hours needed before they could give her the second half of the course of meds. There was a lot of TV watching and Hiram and I took turns reading to her when the TV was too boring. In an effort to keep her from progressing, she was only allowed to walk as far as her bathroom, and even then they asked her to keep the number of trips as low as possible. They didn't want to use drugs to delay the progress, but Phoebe was adamant that if push came to shove she would sit with her legs crossed to buy the babies the time they needed to be healthy. But the doctors were just as adamant that the progesterone supplementation was a last resort they wanted to avoid at all cost. I will never know what worked; the prayers of our friends, many of whom dropped by to see us and see if we needed anything, the stubborn determination of Phoebe, or the grace of God…but Phoebe made it to the second push of the steroids and it was four hours after that when she finally allowed them to start prepping her for the C-section.

They took her into the OR at around twelve thirty. Ramantha Bette was born at one-twelve, Rephael Channing was born at a quarter after one and Rezin Terrence was born before one twenty. Phoebe had asked if she could have her tubes tied at the same time and while that didn't actually affect us, there was no way we were going to cause her to schedule and have another surgery later when the cost, according to our insurance agent, was negligible as a part of the C-section and was covered for her under our insurance policy. Thankfully, St. Rita's actually would perform the surgery…or she'd have had to deliver at Lima Memorial. Since she had the 'tubal ligation' she didn't make it to recovery until twenty minutes after two…then coming down from the spinal block made her sick…so that was even longer before she was returned to her room. Hiram had stuck things out with her, while I followed our bundles of joy to the NICU. Because the heaviest baby weighed just four pounds ten ounces, they had to spend time in the NICU. I called Rachel with the announcement of the babies' arrival. She didn't fake enthusiasm as well as she believed she did. But she tried and she really did make a good suggestion of calling the boys by their more common sounding middle names. I hoped that once she met her brothers and sister, she would find it in herself to see them as just that, her siblings…part of our family.

Thankfully the steroid course had worked. All three babies were breathing on their own, but they had to spend some time in the incubators, under a phototherapy light to bring their bilirubin levels down. The nurses assured me that they were small, but very well developed. They were even able to suckle and swallow…that meant they wouldn't need the feeding tubes or ventilators that had scared us so much. Phoebe spent three days in the hospital recovering from her surgery. Then she went home and per our agreement, Hiram and I paid for her to have the care nurse and maid service for six more weeks. We spent the next week alternating our time in the NICU with them as we fed them and nurtured them to get them to the five pound mark and keep them under the light treatment as much as possible. After the babies were moved to the 'care' nursery…where they were given a lot more parental interaction as the hospital staff and the parents worked together to get them to the six pounds the hospital determined that they had to be to leave. Terrence got there pretty quickly, but St. Rita's policy was that multiples left at the same time. So he was stuck while his brother's fluctuating weight made us all crazy. It took patience and to be honest, we had to try several different formulas to find one that didn't make Channing's finicky system rebel. But ultimately he was able to put on and keep on the needed weight.

It was rather stupid of us, but we hadn't actually thought about the fact that three infant car seats did not fit in either of our cars. If it weren't for the nurses asking us about the types of car seats we'd gotten and asking us if we'd gone and had them installed professionally or at the fire station during a discussion about the babies probably being released at the end of that week, we'd have been very unprepared. We did have the car seats already. We had purchased Sloane and the twins' infant car seats from the Evanses and the Jones. New seat covers and they were perfect for our triplets. Thank God, KAMA and Danica Jones full on saved us. KAMA because they paid me not very long before the babies were born. I'd finally talked them down to two percent since I was only working on their anti-Faux News and TMZ law suits not their day to day career needs. Still that was quite a lot of money for one quarter. Danica, because I'd called Benton frantically trying to figure out what on earth we could do…we were three days from taking our babies home and we had no way to get them from point A to point B. Danica popped up an hour later and drove me to Allan Nott Honda and Toyota.

"Okay, now, I did some research for you currently Honda's are the best of the best for mini-van safety. They tested better than the Sienna and leaps and bounds better than the Town and Country and the Grand Caravan. I hope that you don't mind but Gwen sent me a copy of your tax return for this quarter. Thank God that you and Hiram file jointly. He won't need to physically be here; I know that right now you two are not comfortable having the babies at the hospital without one of you there."

"Have mercy, Dani-Girl…you are a God send." I thanked her profusely. She quietly asked me if we needed any help with a down payment since we weren't really able to trade in either of our cars at that point. I chuckled and reassured her that thanks to her daughter and sons-in-law, we were good. I told her again though that she was definitely a blessing.

She threw me a smile and laughed. "I hope you think so after I tell you that Benton, George and Sander all say that you should test drive at least the Sequoia, the Pilot the Sienna and the Odyssey and then make the sales guy work his ass off for the sale."

I couldn't help but laugh myself because I was sure that they had said exactly that. Still, it was sound advice. We spent three hours driving several classes of SUV and mini-van. Then I settled on the Odyssey. Those back up and side view camera were what had been missing from my life and I'd not even known it. It took them no time to come back with an offer. Then I hit them with the fact that I was paying for it myself, not financing it and I was able to get them to upgrade me from a fully loaded base model to a fully loaded premium model without raising the cost. Best of all it came with a five year maintenance package the other hadn't. While they were going over a few last minute details that Danica could easily handle, I ran…literally, it wasn't even a block away…to the bank that housed my solo account. Hiram still wouldn't let me put the KAMA money into the joint account because we often used that one to take care of things for Rachel. I'd called my account manager there and he'd had the cashier's check for the cost of the vehicle, plus tax, tag and title ready for me when I got there. He went to church with us at Ada, so he knew about the triplets and they had been actively praying for us for weeks.

Least than ten minutes after I'd left, I walked back in and fifteen minutes after that, all the Is were dotted and the Ts were crossed. It still took another almost thirty before I could drive off the lot. As she was getting into her car, Danica made the suggestion that I stop by the house and get the car seats and swing by Burt's and get him to install them. "You are always thinking. Thank you Dani…if you need anything. You are now my official sister from another mister."

We shared a laugh and I made my way happily back to the hospital. A short, I swear, Burt Hummel was a god of all things mechanical, stop by Burt's shop and another to grab some food for myself and Hiram and I arrived back at the hospital six and a half hours after I'd left. Three days later we were finally able to take them home to their 'Little Mermaid/Under the Sea' nursery. The cribs rested against a wall that displayed a mural of the scene from the Disney movie where Sebastian was leading his orchestra in the song. The wall across from the three cribs showed the rainbow scene when right before King Tritan gave Ariel her legs. The cribs were certainly the focal point of the room. All three were identical except their finishes. Reba's white four in one convertible crib sat between Channing and Terrence's cherry stained cribs. Her crib bedding highlighted Ariel while Channing and Terry's highlighted Prince Eric and King Tritan. The Ariel had been easy to find. We'd had to get a friend who specialized in making interesting infant and toddler bedding and clothes make the other two sets.

The rug on the floor was soft for the days when crawling became an issue. The rooms two, large windows had light colored sheers and thick ocean colored blackout curtains. In the corner near them, rested a stone gray, tufted glider rocker with a large stuffed Flounder for a pillow. The wall that held the 'rainbow Tritan' mural had the three changing table/dressers in the same order to the cribs that were parallel to them. Two, three shelf cherry and white bookshelves flanked the door to what had once been the room's good sized walk in closet. The closet was now a small, three piece, bathroom. We'd kept things rather simple in there. The floors were tiled in a natural stone tile in a color that the production company called ostrich grey. The walls were tiled two thirds the way up in a dove gray, ceramic subway tile with pure white tile cap border at the top and at the base where the floor and wall tiles met. Hiram had found a beautiful cherry stained furniture looking vanity with a white sink, counter top and silver fixtures. The toilet and shower, tub combo were also white porcelain with silver fixtures. Above the toilet a cabinet that matched vanity exactly, since it had been one in its previous life, held washcloths, towels and atop it sat the yellow and green baby bath tub. The cabinet of the twenty-four inch wide vanity was filled with Johnson & Johnson baby washes and the medicine cabinet above the sink held the whole host of other necessities, from alcohol to Q-tips. The bathroom had been waiting for its little charges. They had finally arrived.

That first night at home, it was tiring and exhausting and a little frustrating, but we'd actually already gotten over the worst of the sleepless nights in the hospital. Their cords had fallen off and their navels were almost completely healed. Hell, we'd even gotten Channing and Terry's first diaper changes after their circumcisions out of the way there. Every father of sons who I spoke to admitted that, like Hiram and I, they too had cried with their sons that first change. So we gave them their first baths in their new homes, lotioned them with a combination of Aveeno's unscented baby lotion and the iconic, 'just smells like a baby' Johnson & Johnson baby lotion, then dressed them in the outfits, we'd gotten just for their first night home. Reba was soon dressed in pretty, red and white stripped, footsie pajamas with a darling picture of Minnie Mouse was staring dreaming at the words 'Simply Adorable' above the mouse's iconic ears on her little tummy. Channing and Terry had been corralled into matching Thing 1 & Thing 2 footsie pajamas. We settled the three of them in their cribs, reclining against boppy pillows, teal for all three. We took several pictures. Rachel could testify that we were evil parents who always had gads of pictures to embarrass our kids with when they were older. Goodness knew that Finn saw all of Rachel's baby pictures. That was a good young man…no matter what Rachel had convinced herself to believe since they broke up.

At least Reba, Channing and Terry had all been born with heads fully of silky curls. Unlike Rachel who'd been bald as a billiard ball until after her first birthday. but the hair wasn't the only differences in the babies and their elder sister. It was to be expected that their skin was significantly darker, though still many, many shades lighter than my own. Their personalities were as different from Rachel's as they were from each other. Rachel had been a quiet baby. She'd startled very easily, often jumping herself awake. She didn't like to be put down and self-soothing was not something she ever really mastered. On the other hand, Terry loved to sleep. He slept longer than either of his siblings and was always the last to wake up even for food or to be changed. He was also extremely laid back. nothing seemed to bother him…ever. Reba smiled unexpectedly early and all the time. She loved to giggle and grin and I could have sworn she was already trying to talk. She woke for food and changing, but she didn't startle herself awake, even when she wasn't well swaddled. Channing was somewhere in between his wombmates on the sleep spectrum. He slept deeply, but would startle himself awake and was always the first one up. When he was up he wanted Reba and Terry up too.

They were all adorable, but Reba, she looked like a little doll. She was, and I would never let my eldest child hear me say such a thing, but she was the prettiest baby I'd ever seen. She was long and plump and perfect as were her brothers. Channing was probably going to grow up to at least my height with Terry only a little behind. They were very, very cute as well, but Reba had a darling little face with the most adorable little bow lips. Terry's are more like mine and Channing had my bottom lip and looking back at the pictures, his upper lip was shaped like his mother's but full like mine. He and Terry also had her rounder, fuller face. All three of our younger babies ate easily, burped easily and to be honest, they were better sleepers than I'd ever expected. Rachel had been a difficult baby to get to eat…no that wasn't right…she would take two or three ounces each feeding, never more…that meant that she had to be fed a lot more often to keep her weight up. It had been quite trying, waking every two hours to feed her. but we'd managed.

To be honest, I felt like I was being a little hard on the baby that Rachel had been. Yes, she'd been a little fussy and her colic had almost done me in... But we'd been first time fathers with no real support system. Shelby had left as soon as possible. Before she really should have really, to avoid getting too attached to Rachel and to us. Even meeting Danica and Benton, when our girls were in Gymboree together…I'd accepted the overture to friendship with Benton, mostly, but I hadn't realized how much it would have helped to have a mother to talk to. With the triplets we'd had all the support in the world, from the nurses and Carole at the hospital to all our friends who dropped by to visit to Will and Analyn who'd found us an amazing nanny…who happened to be a man. Things were far easier the second go round for almost all parents. We weren't different in that regard. Still once again, we found ourselves without the support of the person it would have meant the most coming from. I truly hoped and prayed that that would change once our children were all under the same roof at the same time.

Hiram Berry PoV

Antwan and I were ecstatic to have all our children under the same roof for the first time since the triplets had been born. However, we both had to confess to being a little but anxious about how Rachel would interact with the triplets. She wasn't very comfortable with change or with sharing. Something her three younger siblings fully embodied. Unfortunately, Rachel hadn't been able to come home for Thanksgiving after all. she had a huge project that she needed to work on and we'd been so tired from the six weeks in the hospital with the triplets that being able to spend our days off having a nice, quiet time in our tension free home…that felt like heaven. Especially, since we were able to get the babies routine, and ours, really well established during that quiet time. Since Rachel was flying in on a Saturday, Antwan and I talked it over and we decided to make a full day out of it. So we woke up early and got all three of our little miracles washed, dressed and into their car seats in our brand new Honda Odyssey. It had the best safety ratings on the market and enough safety features to make even my more than a little OCD husband comfortable. The drive to Dayton International went by quickly and we were able to find a great spot for me and the babies to wait for Antwan and Rachel. It had been almost a full year since Rachel had been home and the last time hadn't had the best start.

As Antwan and Rachel walked towards our obsidian blue pearl mini-van, they were talking animatedly and I couldn't help but notice that Rachel had lost weight…weight she really couldn't afford to lose. They put Rachel's rolling carry-on bag and her backpack into the back. "Oh you shouldn't have brought the babies out in this cold. They are only two months old." Her voice struck me as strange. I wondered if I was paranoid, or if it was really that she was trying to say the right thing but the sentiment behind the words just wasn't there.

Antwan laughed. "Well they were anxious to meet their big sister. Besides, we still have five nights of Hanukkah and Christmas itself left…so your father and I felt like doing a little shopping."

"Oh well that's fortuitous. I have to take a PE class next semester and I was only able to get into a silly mock triathlon class. Twice a week they will force me to run a mile on a track, swim a mile in a lap pool and do a mile on a stationary bike every day. I don't have any physical education type of clothing other than my dance apparel." Rachel laughed endearingly. "Plus, you two can help me pick out Hanukkah and Christmas presents for Reba, Channing and Terrance. I had no idea what to get for them."

"Anything from their big sister will be both treasured and greatly appreciated." Twan said with a grin. He and Rachel took front seats and we were soon underway.

The drive to the Jeffersonville Tanger Outlet Mall was filled with Rachel telling us everything about her first semester. Her mid-term grades had been far, far better than those of her first year's first term though still not as good as Antwan or I felt they should be. We'd also been very worried about the week delay in their availability, but that situation had rectified itself without our intervention. The simple truth was that her core curriculum classes were the problem. She did well, for the most part, in her performance classes. But the classes where she was expected to learn to think, rather than learning certain dates or facts…her grades suffered greatly. Antwan and I had a plan to help with that. We had gotten several logic building board games and our hope was that in playing them we might help her to see how to reason through her course work better.

"You look like you've lost weight. Are you eating alright?" I asked her when she finally stopped speaking.

She sighed and I watched her in the mirror Antwan kept down so the driver could see the babies in the back. I watched as she decided on the lie she was going to tell me. "I did lose almost twenty pounds when I was ill. But it was just a urinary tract infection. I've finished the antibiotics but have a course of cranberry tablets that I have to take for another week or so. But I should be fine again soon."

Antwan and I locked eyes in the larger rearview mirror. Rachel was doing better with using the truth to lie. She'd been sick and that was why she'd lost weight. I was fairly certain that she was still taking something, but not the cranberry tablets. Still I just decided to roll with it. "Oh…okay, we'll just have to feed you back up and we'll hit Whole Foods and get you some one hundred percent natural, organic cranberry juice. That is better than those tablets. You'll be right as rain in no time."

We walked through the open air outlet mall for four hours and by the time we left, we had so many bags that there was barely room for the five of us and the strollers to go back into the car. Thankfully the triplets had gone through all twelve of the two ounce premixed, sterile, just add the nipple bottles of Enfamil that we'd brought with us, so we were able to fold down the formula cooler, which left us with a little more room. As we loaded ourselves into the van, I couldn't help but rather proud of how helpful Rachel had proven to be as we'd walked and shopped. She had helped us to feed both Channing and Terrance. She'd managed to avoid changing any of the babies, but still, she helped more than I'd thought she would.

As soon as we got home, we gave Rachel the key to the external entrance to her basement level 'apartment'. Neither of her fathers could wait to see her reaction to all the work we'd had done and all that we'd done ourselves. So when we pulled the van back into its space in the garage, next to Rachel's car which sat awaiting her visits, inside out of the elements. We left all the clothes, shoes and various other evidence of our little shopping spree locked in the van while we each carried one of the babies to tour Rachel's new digs. I noticed that Rachel seemed to gravitate towards Channing and he found her just as fascinating. She seemed a little indifferent to Terrance, but the infant fully returned the favor. It worried me a little that Rachel didn't seem to want to interact with Reba at all. But our eldest daughter had two sessions with Dr. Watson, before she returned to New York, so hopefully she could grow past that.

We walked out the side entrance to the garage into the side yard where we kept the large trash receptacle and recycling bins that had to be rolled to the street every week. Then it was through the locked fence that protected our backyard from random intrusions. The yard was gently sloped down to from the side to the actual back yard, where the basement walkout opened on to the patio. However, Rachel's private entrance was nearer the side than the back so there were a few steps to go down to get to the landing outside her door. George had found an incredible looking steel core exterior door that was both modern and very safe. He'd hung it so that it opened out rather than in which made it harder to kick open and he'd used three inch, galvanized steel screws to hang the door and to secure the plate that covered the latch and deadbolt holes. We'd originally picked something pretty with glass and he'd said no it wasn't safe for a young lady living so far away from the rest of us in the house. Rather than giving her a glass pane to look out and see who'd arrived, she had a simple peephole. It may not have been as aesthetically pleasing as it could have been but we definitely valued her safety more than the 'cuteness' of the door.

Whether one entered Rachel's rooms from her reinforced external entrance, or her inner door, they entered into her living room. The living room was a nice, cozy fourteen foot by eighteen-foot area. We'd decorated it as two differing but cohesive zones. The room's walls had been painted a soft, very light-almost white-gray from Sherwin Williams called white duck. The baseboards and all the wooden frames of the pictures around the room were painted a much, much darker gray called black fox. The floor was a great bamboo flooring that George found for us in a light natural color. The main part of the room was dedicated to entertainment with an adorable rose colored Laura Ashley love seat with geometric and chevron patterned rose and ivory throw pillows. Rectangular end tables sat on either side of the love seat looking contemporary and chic painted a medium gray and the same dark gray as the frames on the walls. In front of it, between the two ivory armchairs that flanked the couch, a matching coffee table rested decorated with a rose colored glass bowl holding the remotes for the entertainment center across the room.

The entertainment center was a darker gray wood and housed a mid-sized TV, a nice Bose audio system and a small, ventless, electric fireplace insert. The other area of the room was set up with a nice desk of a lighter gray painted wood flanked on either side by tall bookcases that matched the darker grays in the room. We'd carefully unpacked the contents of the bookshelves from Rachel's old bedroom on the bottom two shelves and arrayed the trophies she'd won when she was younger on the middle shelves. All around the room were the many awards and evidence of all her other childhood achievements. On either side of the entertainment center were two doors painted a shade of white in the same family as the other colors in the room. The left door went into her bathroom…a beautiful room done in a very light shade of gold with ivory tiles and wood and brushed nickel fixtures. The right door stepped into her bedroom.

We'd taken great care to update her room but keep it true to the same taste and color pallet as the room from our old home. We had gotten her white furniture with clean, modern lines. Except her bed. It was a queen sized platform bed with a glaring white upholstered head board and dark wood accents. As she walked through the room, she actually smiled and pointed out different things that been brought over from her old room to Channing. Finally, she turned back and smiled at Antwan and I and it reached her eyes and everything. "I love it…the entire suite of rooms is perfect. There is almost nothing I would change, well other than the location…but there's nothing to be done about that…Channing and Terrance and yes, Ramantha need space too."

That concession was way more than we actually hoped for, so we took it happily. We let ourselves out through the interior door, showing Rachel the new laundry room as we went. The tour of the main part of the house was begun with a stop in the kitchen to feed the triplets, then we walked as we burped them. By the time we finished the first floor, it was time to change their diapers. When we decided that given their usual bedtimes, we'd dispose of the soiled diapers and give them a bath. The second floor held a guest room and bathroom, the triplet's nursery and a room that would become Channing and Terrance's bedroom when they were old enough to no longer need to all live together. We showed Rachel the route to our well-appointed master suite. Giving her a quick peep into our sanctuary, she got a chance to see the new furniture we'd gotten since the bedroom was much larger than our previous bedroom and it had a private sitting room the other house hadn't. Once the triplets were bathed and down for the next four to five hours, we returned downstairs to light the menorah in our living room. We each opened a small gift. We'd gotten Rachel a sandwich press for her kitchen. Rachel and I had gotten Antwan a new decorative statue for his office and the two of them had gifted me with a new winter scarf and hat set in a beautiful shade of gun metal gray. We'd just added the gelt to the triplet's college funds and made donations to charities in their names.

After the lighting and blessings, we all three brought in everything from the car and left it all on the dining room table. We showered and I managed to feed and change Reba, who I believed was about to undergo a growth spurt, without her awakening her brothers. Then we three adults found our way back to the living room to watch 'The Wizard of Oz'. It was a wonderful family evening. In fact, the whole night was perfectly wonderful. Despite being rather tired from the day, Twan and I were able to make love, and we only had to get up with the triplets who only awakened once during the course of the night.

The next morning after feeding the babies, we dressed and dressed them. We asked Rachel if she would like to go to church with us, but she declined the invitation, so we left her to her own devices and went to the Methodist church. I'd learned during our couple counseling that Antwan had felt as if his faith wasn't as important to me as mine was to him. So we decided to fully raise the babies in both religions, not just until they made the decision for themselves, but simply as a way of life. Until a few months previously, it had been a very long time since I'd attended church with Antwan. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed the choir there. When I was having a moment of pure honesty, I admitted to myself, if no one else, that I was more than a little sure that Rachel had made her decision that she was only Jewish after a Christmas program where Mercedes Jones had debuted in the kids' choir. That was also around the time that Rachel had discovered vegetarianism. I had never realized that the rivalry had started that long ago. If only I'd seen the signs then. After a beautiful service, we picked Rachel up and we went to the Christmas tree lot. Antwan and I had agreed that we'd also place just as much import on Christian holidays as we'd always placed on the Jewish ones. So we were going to start having a tree and decorations and just enjoy the chance to spoil each other and our children.

We'd actually taken a lunch break the previous week to go shopping for the needed decorations and we'd pulled a few ornaments Rachel had made in her youth that'd never before been utilized properly from the storage section of the attic. We had a late lunch before heading home and fighting to get the nine-foot-tall balsam fir into our living room. Thank Hashem that we had double doors. By the time I had dinner ready, Antwan had the tree in its wide, deep base which contained potting soil and a few feeding sticks the nursery consultant we'd spoken with had said might help us be able to plant the tree after the holiday. He even removed the burlap sack so that the roots wouldn't have even more trouble breathing in the Christmas tree base that was pretty much a potting planter. He had given Rachel the job of winding the lights around the entire tree. While the babies each lay on their 'kicky stations' playing with their baby gyms, Rachel was putting the lights on the tree so in a very meticulous fashion.

"I'm still not sure I understand why we need to celebrate Christmas any differently than we ever did before. It served us well for the last decade or more. What about what you two always said about the commercialism of Christmas having overshadowed any possible religious connotation? You've just spent almost two hundred dollars on the tree alone. Usually what was what we'd spend on one of the gifts we'd get for each other." She was lecturing Antwan as she carefully adjusted each rope of lights.

Antwan sighed. "Rachel, just as you feel that the traditions you grew up with were perfect, I too miss the Christmas traditions I was raised with. I would like to share those with my family. What is so difficult to understand about that? As to the cost…we can afford it. We could have chosen to get a fake tree which would have been cheaper, but instead we chose to get a tree that we could later plant in the yard. Next year we will do the same, and the year after and after that. Who knows by the time the babies graduate high school our entire back fence line will be made up of balsam fir trees that signify all the happy Christmases this family has had. We will still only get one major gift each, however, we will also get a few smaller gifts as well."

"So seven days of small gifts, then a few small gifts and our usual major gifts…that will be the new gift giving paradigm of this family. I'm going to need to get a better job by next Christmas." She returned with a smirk.

"Well, I guess you will." He stated with a wry smile.

I joined them and we sang and decorated the tree as a family. Antwan and I both took turns dancing with Rachel and the babies. I made sure that we took lots of pictures of us enjoying the Christmas rituals we'd so long eschewed. We had another simple Hanukkah ceremony in our living room after the tree was completed and Rachel had added the star, a Star of David, to the top. It was really nice. On Monday, we introduced Rachel to Landon, our manny. We'd found him through Will and Analyn Anderson and his Rangeman background check had come back clean as a whistle. He, himself was of both Mongolian and Tibetan descent, but his parents had been born and raised in America. He was an early childhood education major at UNOH, but he worked to avoid a massive student loan debt. Fortunately for us, he tended to prefer to take his classes online and in the evening, so he was available when we were at work.

As it was the holiday and he had no classes at all that week, he was only watching Reba, Channing and Terrance that Monday, when Antwan and I had to work. He would also be staying a little later as the three adult Berrys had an appointment with Dr. Watson that afternoon. My day at the office was one of the easiest of the year. We were there until noon, then we went out to a huge, joint lunch where we said our happy holidays and did our Secret Santa gift exchange. I lucked out and ended up with a digital picture frame from a coworker who also had children and knew how precious keeping their pictures with you during the day could really be. I had the challenge of buying a gift for a black woman of a certain age who'd chosen not to have children and had had a rather angry divorce just two years previously. I'd immediately gone to Danica for help and she's proven invaluable. We discussed everything I knew about the woman, and in doing so, I'd realized that she always had her hands and in the summer at least, feet well-manicured and moisturized. So I'd gone to Jewels, Danica's recommendation, and purchased her a gift certificate for two mani-pedis. It was actually a little above the fifty-dollar limit set by the Secret Santa gods, but both Danica and the woman at Jewels said getting the fifty-dollar gift card would leave her having to pay at least ten bucks for the second treatment and I didn't like that thought. Felicia had been as grateful for my gift as I'd been for my gift from Roger's in accounts payable. So it was a rather nice party after all.

Antwan's firm had held their Christmas event two weeks before the holiday. They preferred to have a more formal dinner event with dancing and it welcomed the spouses of their lawyers as well as their more affluent clients and their significant others. It was a usually a very nice event. That year had been no different until one of the junior partners got rip roaringly drunk and went on a long tirade against homosexuality, people of color, pretty much every color on the racial spectrum, and how he deserved to be a full partner basically just because he was a hetero-normative white male. He was sent to rehab rather than fired. It was not a good time for the senior partners to pull that 'oh he's a good man who said a bad thing because of the alcohol'. In point of fact, it was a really bad time. Antwan had been on the fence for several months about whether he should start subtly feeling out if any of his clients would be interested in following him in the event that he chose to strike out on his own like our friends had been trying to talk him into doing for quite a while. After seeing that display and learning of the lack of firing of the offending junior partner, more than a few others, both clients and fellow lawyers, were ready to jump ship.

With that information Antwan had undertaken two wildly different courses of actions. The first started with him approaching the 'naming partners', the senior partners who were so senior that the firm bore their names. He raised his concerns and those of his fellows and the partners dismissed it all again as a simple, though regrettable, case of over indulgence loosening a tongue. The confirmation that the 'naming partners' were not going to see to the offense beyond what they had, showed Antwan and the others their true natures. All of them were in complete agreement that if the senior partners refused to truly condemn the bad actions, it was probably because they secretly agreed with them. Hell even the asshole's wife had left him after his thirty minutes of Mel Gibson.

Antwan set up time to speak with George, Sander, Benton and Will Anderson to discuss the time line for the office park portion of the development. That evening after they got everything hashed out, Twan told me the plan for moving forward. He, his coworkers Carrie and Vivian, the ones I knew the best and whom traded favors with Twan back and forth so much they couldn't keep track of who owed who what anyway, would all begin the process of extricating themselves and any of their clients who were ready to jump ship by March when the office park would be ready for new tenants. "Remember way back when I'd just passed the bar and the plan was that as soon as I understood the inner workings of the firm I'd go out on my own." Antwan chuckled.

I nodded. "Yeah, but then we got comfortable. Because as I remember it, that was plan B. Plan A was for you to make partner and then you'd jump ship to a big firm in Columbus or Chicago…anything to get out of one horse Lima."

"Yeah, well, now the plan is to make Lima a hell of a lot more hip and trendy so that the kids will want to come home more. If it works, they may bring the best of fashion and Hollywood and Broadway with them, then we'll have the best of both worlds." He told me with a smile.

"True. So the office complex will be ready in March…what about the shopping center? When will that farmers market be opening?" Ever since we'd checked out the Sprouts website, we'd been anxiously awaiting the day we could check out their organic produce.

"George said that they are working to have it and several other of the shops ready for the tenants to come in right after Valentine's Day. Will said that Sprouts is going to begin its advertising campaign here in Allen County after New Year's…create a buzz. They are actually getting interest from some really interesting shops for space there. You've seen the center…its built a little more like a shopping plaza than a traditional strip mall. Well, that gives them a total of six anchor store spaces than just the traditional two. Sprouts has one of the two biggest, Hummel International Car Service & Repair will have one of the two smallest. The Diamond Cellar is trying for the other of the small anchors. But the biggest surprise is that Pier 1 has contacted us to try for the other huge anchor space. The two medium sized anchor spaces were previously designed as restaurants. Well Sander and Will are in talks with Michael Symon to for one of them and Bone Fish Grill for the other. Best of all that still leaves twenty-four very nice sized store fronts. A Dayton bakery called Ashley's Pastry Shop is damn near desperate for one of them and the voicemail that we've set up for those expressing interest in renting one of them once everything is ready has been filled every day. If things keep going at the rate they are going the center will be filled when Sprouts launches its grand opening."

"That's really impressive." I replied honestly. "So what about your law office?"

He smiled. "Well, each of the seven office park buildings are two stories tall. Right now, one is slated for complete renovation to house Jewels Spa and Veronica & Lamar's Hair and Beauty. The beauty shop will be on the bottom, the spa on the top. Benton and Danica's dental office will take up another entire building, with all the extra space, they said they are going to find an orthodontist to complete their practice. They are going to be the biggest dentists in town after the move…Hi, they are planning to rent some of their space to a dental laboratory which means they would never have to send things all the way to Dayton again. That will cut people's waits down to almost nothing. You know people will flock to them when word gets out. Gwen and I will share a building that just needs basic updating and refreshing. She'll have the bottom floor and I'll have the top. She has some issues with heights. The way our building is designed, you enter a reception area and waiting room. When you go back to the offices there will be three corner offices a couple of meeting rooms, a break room, copy room and you know the other mischiva that goes with the running of an office. Now Geraldine is coming with me. I don't know about Carrie or Vivian's legal secretaries, but they will each have desks in an ante-chamber outside our offices. There is even room for two or three cubicles, in case we get big enough to take on some paralegals."

I laughed merrily. "Is Gwen's office going to be the same?"

"Yes and no. she will have more small offices and one really tricked out meeting room. We'll be moving the weekly KAMA meetings there once everything is all ready and we're all moved in."

I smiled to myself as I remembered how excited Antwan had gotten and really still was. I still couldn't believe how quickly things were moving. But the truth of the matter was the Lima-Allen County Chamber of Commerce was really behind the development. So much so that the acres of land Amicitiae Amore had been interested in behind the office park, had basically been given to them at auction and there was some part of the contract that negated any and all property taxes for them until the last of the houses were built. We'd used some of Antwan's payments from KAMA to buy into the 'corporation' which greatly reduced the cost of the rent on his new office and seemed to make the rest of our friends a lot happier than we'd have ever thought they be just from roping us in tighter to their 'family'. It made us and our manny happy too…with us in the corporation, we could then offer him a full benefits package. I'd attended a board meeting and I had to say I was really looking forward to being in on things with those wonderful, fun people.

I finished my line of thinking just as I pulled up to the house to pick up Rachel for the family therapy session. Now, that was something I wasn't looking forward to. Dragging Rachel in for counseling was less fun than taking her for shots when she was little. It was less fun than maintaining the fiction that the quarterly shots we had her getting from the moment she entered high school were B-12 shots not Depo Provera. It was no fun at all and little did I know that that session would be even more fun sucking than usual.

Rachel PoV

I truly hated visiting Lima for only one reason. Dr. Ophelia Watson was a boil on the backside of humanity. She constantly undermined my relationship with my fathers by informing them whether or not I was making my therapy visits in Manhattan as I was supposed to. She closely monitored me when I was home and she always found some ulterior motive to most of my actions. When we visited her for a family counseling session, she did so again. "Have you interacted with your younger siblings since you've returned home?" she asked after a very pleasant conversation about my new suite of rooms.

"Yes." I told her with a smile I could only hope was sincere enough. "I've managed to avoid changing diapers. But I've fed and played with them and even helped my fathers give them baths."

"Reba is a darling little girl. One of the cutest I've ever seen. How do you feel about that?" she quizzed me.

I smirked. "One of my former classmates used to say that biracial children were blessed with the best of both races and the worst of neither…granted the way she said that was a lot more crass…but the sentiment was easy to understand."

"I've heard that point made on more than one occasion…but you didn't answer the question. How does it feel that you now have to share your fathers with another little girl, your sister Reba?" Dr. Watson asked pointedly.

Something told me to throw her something of a bone. "I'm not yet comfortable with the idea of them having another daughter. I'm fairly certain that that doesn't come as a surprise to anyone. But my biological mother has replaced me…I suppose I should have expected my fathers to do so as well." I almost cursed. I said far too much.

"We are not, nor do we have any desire to replace you Rachel. We just…we wanted more children for a very long time. We have them now. Not different children…just more." Daddy said quietly.

Papa sighed. "Rachel, I know how much you hate it when we point out that the way you're feeling is your NPD causing you to feel paranoia and anxiety when changes happen that you feel are outside your control."

Dr. Watson actually nodded in support of that ridiculous assertion. "Given your age and the increased likelihood of extreme psychological side effects, I've been very reluctant to prescribe any of the usual anti-depressants, anti-anxiety meds or anti-psychotics that have demonstrated that they can provide relief to some parts of the NPD spectrum."

I was aghast and appalled…so much so that I spoke without thought. "I do not need anything else that I have to take every day for the rest of my life. Isn't it enough that I have to take that damn Valtrex every day? Now you're talking about giving me another string of who knows how many pills to pop. I refuse to become another example of the over medicated, under disciplined millennials. I refuse." I stated vehemently.

"Valtrex…you have herpes." Daddy sounded so shocked and maybe I was imagining the disappointment. "I thought you were determined to remain a virgin."

"How did that happen? Why didn't you tell us?" Papa's voice was filled with concern and censure as well.

"Gentlemen, please remember, Rachel is a young adult. The fact that she has a disease isn't something she has to share with you. You may ask her why she didn't feel comfortable sharing it with you so that you can modify your behaviors in the hopes of improving your relationship…that is perfectly acceptable. But demanding that she share everything with you, her parents, at this point in her life is more than a little unrealistic."

Wow. I didn't realize that she knew how to be on my side. Of course then she ruined it by going into a bunch of statistics as to how many people contract STDs and STIs every year and how the stigma associated with them are often undeserved. Finally, Daddy chimed in. "It isn't that we are trying to stigmatize. We're gay and we lived through the AIDS crises of the eighties. We know better than to demonize someone because of an illness they contracted. We're asking her these questions because we're trying to understand how something so major happened in our daughter's life and she felt she had to hide it from us."

I tried my best to answer him truthfully but not too truthfully. "I just didn't want you to be disappointed in me."

Papa looked at me with a level of fear in his eyes I couldn't fathom. "Were…were you…did somebody rape you Rachel?"

"No." I blurted out. "I am in complete control of my body and my sexuality at every moment." I said dismissively. As if I would ever allow myself to be victimized in such a horrid fashion. I thought to myself. "I made a choice to engage in heavy petting with someone that went a little too far. I've still not engaged in intercourse…but I have contracted Herpes Simplex Virus, II. The doctor on campus told me that to manage the symptoms of the disease, I will need to take a daily dose of Valtrex for the rest of my life."

Dr. Watson then went on a long ramble about how people who are raped are not responsible for another's choices or actions and therefore they too are in control of their bodies and sexualities. I didn't agree, but I was well and truly sick of being there anyway so I didn't argue either. Finally she turned her attention to a question that I knew had to have come from my dads. "Rachel, you seem to be dealing well with the improved relationship between your two fathers, but how do you really feel when you see the increased intimacy and connection between them?"

Now that I could answer honestly and maybe even score some much needed bonus points after the earlier conversation. "I'm happy. They were so wrapped up in me, and I liked that, but I was worried that once I was gone they would have no reason to stay together and get divorced." I told them gladly. "I suppose that I was a little worried that having the babies was just a way to give them another bridge rather than them actually reinforcing the base of their relationship. I'm very glad to see that I was wrong about this. I do have something that has been bothering me about the Triplets. Why are you not using a vegan or at least vegetarian formula? We're vegans. It is very important to us."

Daddy and Papa exchanged a long look. "No Rachel, you were vegan. Your father and I had a steak or seafood or chicken or pork…every single day for lunch. We supported your efforts primarily because we didn't know that it was harming you more than it was helping." Daddy finally admitted.

"Wait, you guys didn't eat the vegan lunches I made for you?" I'd done so at least once or twice a week in high school.

Papa had the grace to look embarrassed. "They were always good for a midafternoon snack. But they weren't very filling." He told me with a smile. "So yes, we at the lunches you lovingly made for us. And we appreciated them. However, we also had lunch at a restaurant with our coworkers. As for why we aren't giving Reba, Channing and Terrance vegetarian or vegan formula was because neither of us believe that there are any greater health benefits to those formulas. They're still being vetted for certain side effects of the estrogen like compounds that are not present in the existing milk based formulas. There is still some concerns that babies need more supplements and such on them. Since none of the babies have any allergies or problems with lactose or milk…we decided to use the current 'best' of the same line of formulas that we used for you. Remember, you were ten before you decided on vegetarianism and fourteen before you moved to veganism. To be honest, we've wondered if you were ready from a developmental stand point for such a restrictive diet even then but you certainly would not have been as an infant."

I was still shocked that my fathers, whom I'd always held as superior people…not as superior as I myself, but still…much better than the average human being, were duplicitous and undisciplined and meat eaters. That was so gross. I found I couldn't keep that thought to myself and I blurted out how duplicitous and undisciplined they were. "Rachel, neither veganism nor vegetarianism is for everyone. It is not a matter of discipline. It is a matter of personal choice. As for their duplicity…all parents are to a certain extent. Is telling children that Santa Claus is a real person not a falsehood? Your fathers simply wanted to support you as you found your choice." Dr. Watson pointed out. "Well, we've come to the end of the hour. Rachel, please stop and schedule a time to meet one on one. After the holiday and before you go back to school. Hiram, Antwan, I will see the two of you on the twelfth of next month." We were dismissed and I was very glad.

But the conversations from the appointment were far from buried. We stopped by the Lima Bean and sat and talked through some of the issues that were raised, but not fully examined. I listened to their fears and reassured them about the incident that led to my unfortunate affliction, making sure to convince them that it was simply a moment of passion that went too far…not physical manipulation to achieve a desired end. My fathers would never demonize me for contracting an STD…or even for getting carried away in a minute of happy lust…but they really would be disappointed with me for using intimacy as a weapon or commodity. They explained that they had felt themselves drifting during my high school career and had immediately begun to work on it. We talked about my worries about being replaced. They expressed concern at my immediate love for Channing to the exclusion of Reba and Terrance. I promised to do better and to try and give Reba a chance. I said the right things even knowing that Channing was officially my favorite and nothing would change that.

When we got home, I helped Daddy make dinner while Papa gave Landon they gift my fathers had gotten for him. I helped with feeding Channing while Papa and Daddy feed the other two drooling, mewling infants…then the babies watched us recite the blessings and light the menorah. Our Hanukkah gifts traditionally were limited to around fifty dollars a gift. So sometimes, one of my fathers would give me a multitude of gift certificates or gift cards that added up to a whole large gift. Over the seven nights of Hanukkah, I'd received enough gift certificates to have an entire spa experience at Oasis Day Spa in Manhattan. I also ended up with a pair of very nice earrings. It was a very nice Hanukkah for all of us.

Christmas morning arrived the day after the last night of Hanukkah. My fathers woke me around eight and Papa told me to grab some coffee and one of the homemade blueberry-pecan muffins he had made and join them in the living room. Daddy and Papa must have been up for a while. The babies were all fed and changed and cleaned up. They had them dressed in adorable Christmas themed pajamas. The boys' pajamas were red with white trim that looked like little Santa suits. Reba's was white with red holly berry clusters and green Christmas trees. They looked really very cute. I put down my breakfast to pick up Channing and started dancing with my little brother while singing 'Santa Baby' for the room at large. I didn't make it all the way through the first verse when I stopped cold. "Wow, these lyrics are wildly inappropriate for children." I blurted, much to my fathers' amusement.

"Don't worry, you don't really have to worry about that for another few years." Papa reassured me.

"I didn't worry about it at all. When you were six, you would burst into 'Livin La Vida Loca' at the drop of a hat. I thought you were cute as a button. We used to have a video of it…wonder what ever happened to that." Daddy chuckled. I knew what happened to it. I accidentally left it out of the box of my performance tapes that he took in to have converted to DVD. It had made a beautiful sound as I drove over it with the lawnmower. "Now, why don't we get this show on the road?"

Daddy played Santa, of course. He started with the babies, each 'opened' one gift then it was my turn. My first Christmas gift was a beautiful red cashmere blend fringed stole. It was warm enough to wear in the winter and yet light enough to carry me through early spring. I loved it. I had gotten each of my fathers a Clarisonic cleansing device from Neiman Marcus. I knew how important their appearance was to each of them, and Lima didn't really have any spas that catered to men. I'd also found each of them a 'four elements of the perfect shave' kit; sandalwood for Daddy and unscented for Papa. They liked them so much I knew exactly what I was getting them for their birthdays. The babies, I wasn't sure what to get for them, so all I'd gotten them was a small stuffed animal for each of them. A teddy bear for Ramantha, a stuffed dinosaur for Terrance and a stuffed elephant for Channing. I'd also gotten them each an onesie that read 'if you think I'm cute you should see my big sister'; a manly navy for Channing, a pretty pink for Ramantha, and a strong red for Terrance. Finally it was back to me. I was shocked when I was handed a big rectangular box. Rather than one father or the other, the tag said it was from both. I opened it to find an Acer Aspire E5 laptop.

"We know that your current laptop is almost four years old, so we thought it was about time for a new one." Papa said with a big smile.

"Thank you. I needed this so much." I told them happily. I really did. I knew a guy in my building who was willing to pay me two hundred for my old one. The only thing that had stopped me from selling it to him then was that I'd needed it for school.

There were only a few more gifts under the tree. The CD of me singing traditional lullabies and some Broadway favorites that I'd made for the babies. The new, laptop friendly, backpack and a set of my favorite Clinique facial cleanser, exfoliator and moisturizers and a golden Star of David necklace for me. A pair of Opera tickets for Papa, a pair of tickets to see Kinky Boots on Broadway for Daddy. All in all I really enjoyed the double holiday experience. The week following the holiday not so much. Mercedes and her paramours were back in the news. Despite the uproar at her older brothers' and their wives graduation, an uproar that I had happily helped stoke the fires of, they were back being heralded as paragons of charity and all the other virtues. Apparently when they were home at Thanksgiving they'd helped more than a few down and out Limans by basically buying them all nice Christmases. It had been kept pretty quiet until those people all posted pictures of their happy families on Christmas morning with more than enough gifts on twitter, Instagram and Facebook, all with the tag, #KAMACares or #KAMA=SANTA. Then the administrators at the homeless shelter Sam built and endowed got on board. Not only had the shelter been able to provide the underprivileged families who lived there with both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, but through their 'anonymous' benefactors, the residents had all gotten coats, scarves and gloves. From there it seemed to snowball. The Toys for Tots people and the Trevor Project people got in on the action too. As for Mercedes, Sam and Noah…they just tweeted out that they were happy everyone had such a great holiday and wished them all a Happy New Year. It was enough to make one ill.

Looking at Twitter and Instagram and Facebook the next day may have been even worse. The first thing to hit was a picture of Mercedes Jones, her face completely devoid of makeup and her hair back in a braid, wearing what looked like a beautiful pair of blush colored silk pajama pants, with a matching camisole and long sleeved top doing what could only be called petting a purple Mercedes with a completely oversized and amazingly wasteful silver bow on top. Noah and Sam stood off to the side, in front of a bank of white cabinets and pegboard storage that looked to be awaiting tools and other garage accoutrements. They were clearly still in their pajamas as well and it was easy to tell that the ridiculously gauche gift of the luxury sedan was from them. A few mouse clicks told me that the car had a custom paint job as well. That was just a completely unsound investment.

The next picture was a split screen of Mercedes standing next to a very large blue truck with her hand on the front end above the tire. In that she was much more put together. Her makeup looked professionally done, though even I could admit that she had always had a deft had with the tool of modern beauty. She was wearing an old-fashioned looking off the shoulder, oversized sweater, pink sweater…drawing attention to the wide burgundy lace bra strap that was exposed on one shoulder. She paired it with a pair of skinny jeans and brown mid-calf walking boots. In the next picture Sam was wearing the same pajamas from the Mercedes picture standing next to the same truck with another stupid silver bow on top. I wanted to scream to the heavens at the unfairness of it all. It wasn’t bad enough that Mercedes Jones had received a brand new luxury car for Christmas, while I’d only received a stupid laptop…but the backwater bumpkin got a country boy’s dream vehicle, at least according to one tweet I read, that was untenable to me.

I almost wept in indignation when I saw the last picture. Mercedes, in what even I had to admit was a cute and appropriate shopping outfit, stood inside the open door of a shiny, McKinley Red, Dodge sports car. That was then joined by a picture of Noah Puckerman receiving the car on Christmas morning. Never mind that he was JEWISH. How dare he set aside his own religion to cater to the vagaries of his ‘mates’. Credit for the pictures of Mercedes purchasing the gifts was given to Reza Marsini at Reineke Ford and Jason Wofford at Tom Ahl Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge. She gave each sales person quite a glowing review. I clicked the links to the dealerships Facebook pages and the sales people were just as complimentary about how kind and gracious Mercedes had been. Sam and Noah’s contact at the Mercedes dealership in Columbus was also given a mention that would certainly see to him being called upon by a whole new clientele thus increasing his bottom line as well as that of the dealerships. Those three were far too nice for the industry they had chosen to become a part of. I couldn’t wait until it bit them on their collective posteriors.

It all quieted down until New Year's Eve when they tweeted out a picture of almost all the original New Directions, KAMA's entourage, that damn traitor Jesse, and their significant, or not so significant others all decked out in their finery about to hit some trendy VIP New Year's bash at Provocateur …a club so expensive and exclusive that it was pretty much a legend on every campus in the city. Of course, they invited anyone who wanted to join them to arrive before eleven and say they wanted to party with KAMA to gain free admittance. I'd have made the attempt, after all, getting in there would surely cement me as a person to know. But no, I was stuck in Lima…watching Channing while Landon watched the other two as my fathers partied the night away at the country club. The babies went down for good at around ten, after which even Landon abandoned me. It seemed that twenty-fifteen would start just as twenty-fourteen had and as all future years were bound to…me alone but never lonely…I refused to wallow in such a plebian emotion. Instead I would evolve and grow…I didn't need anyone to make me successful. I would double down and really begin my rise to greatness in the coming year. Like a phoenix, I would rise from the ashes of the duplicity and treachery to become even greater than those who had betrayed me. But first…I'd have my revenge.


	2. Please Come Home For Christmas (Aaron Neville)

Vince PoV

My fall semester did not go the way I thought it would…at all. I mean, yeah Finn was back and better than ever. Like for real…his handwriting no longer counted as a NSA code. He was given a cool position as sort of an intern or coaches assistant so he could still live in the athletic dorms with me and Elle. We’d gotten Worthington Hall, which was perfect. It was a five-story dorm that consists of four-person apartment style rooms that include two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a common area. The three of us were sharing a suite so I had my own bedroom and my own bathroom while Finn and Lauren had the other bedroom and bathroom. To be honest we were all a little shocked that housing had let a co-ed suite happen like that. But something told me if any one asked about it, they would claim that it was a clerical error. Just like, as far as the parents knew, Elle was the one with the single bedroom and bathroom. But I was pretty sure that all four of them knew we’d moved things around the second they walked out the door. They were smart like that. Not that it was a big deal, the beds were built in lofts they couldn’t move them together or anything. If they had figured that out…well, I’d never ask and if they told me, I’d never tell another soul.

As far as school itself, things were going awesome. My grades at the end of the previous year had been a solid B+, so I was more than happy with that. I had gotten ten of my gen-ed requirements out of the way. I was on track to be able to finish those up spring semester and start working on my major and minors that same time. My advisor said that I was incredibly focused on academics for such a successful student athlete. I took the backhanded compliment in the vein it was meant, rather than getting defensive and upset. After all I was certainly a student athlete. I started my sophomore year as a starting cornerback and second string safety. We lost only one game during the twenty-fourteen season, so I was pretty damn proud to be a Buckeye.

Naw, the curve ball came at me from my personal life. I was so sure that me and Sasha were gonna be a Lauren and Finn type couple. But no. With all the scholarships she was using to pay her way…she needed to be focused, so she pulled us back to friendship status. The worst thing was that given the reason she needed to do it, I couldn’t even be mad. She was at school to learn and to get her shit straight and her majors were incredibly hard and needed her devoted attention. So no, I couldn’t fault her. It was hard though. Going back to being just her friend when over the summer, we’d gotten close enough that I could tell you how she sweet she tasted and just how pretty the sounds she made when she came were, was hard as hell. But I managed it. Momma used to say that when you did the right thing, no matter how hard it was to choose that path, God rewarded you. It was actually true. Because, while I’d passed my college algebra for business, freshman year, I was not looking forward to the calculus class I was taking fall semester…then damned if Sasha didn’t have the same class. I’d been proud as hell of the B- I’d pulled in the algebra class. When midterms hit and I was making a letter grade higher in calculus…I stopped complaining. With that kind of improvement just from studying with her, I was too happy to just be Sasha’s friend and study buddy.

Still a brother had needs and chicks on campus loved to get under a football player. But I had to cut that shit about half way through the semester. Nothing bad happened, but I woke up in a Pennsylvania hotel room and looked over at a girl who looked way too much like Lil Wayne for me to be comfortable with the fact that I had slept with her. She looked like the drag queen evil mowgui from Gremlins 2. But yeah, that happened. Damn those Everclear Jello shots. After that shit, I acted like my name was Finn Hudson. I went to the post win parties, but I didn’t drink and I didn’t take anyone back to the room with me. I’d been scared straight and thankfully only by embarrassment, not some STD or a Baby. I also took a tip from Sasha’s book and studied more.

I took that extra time and got deep into my classes. I was able to engage in debates in my poli-sci class and completely read the entire play of Shakespeare’s Othello…not a cobbled together mixture of Cliff’s Notes, Sparks Notes and Pink Monkey…but the actual play. Granted I had a great translator to help me out with figuring out the lingo…I owed Kurt Hummel a serious thank you. So at the end of the semester before Elle, Finn and I went home to Lima I went online and got him a gift card for his favorite coffee place. On Christmas Eve, I slipped it to him and neither of us had to say anything for him to understand his help was very much appreciated…and his brother did listen to him even when he thought he didn’t.

Over the course of the semester, I’d been constantly checking in with Netta. After meeting with the counselor at the school, she had checked herself into a real rehab in Dallas. I don’t know how she paid for it. But when I mentioned it to Elle, she looked way too damn innocent. Lauren ‘No one says my middle name upon pain of death’ Zizes was many things…innocent wasn’t one of them. That led to me wondering if a certain sister from another mister had put a bug in the ear of my doppelganger’s little sister. Still after a doing a hundred and twenty days at an inpatient rehabilitation facility, Netta sounded…she sounded good. She was still mean as a cornered rattler, but that had never been the drugs. She sent me a picture and she had gotten her hair and nails done at the beauty school. She looked good. She looked healthy. Netta had put some weight back on…she looked like she was supposed to look. In fact she was looking to go to beauty school herself. She had always loved that beauty and fashion shit. Before she got in deep, she used to make good change as a kitchen-tican. I wasn’t surprised when she didn’t ask if I was coming home for Christmas. It was just a thing. She wanted me out of our dying home town. She wanted me to make sure I kept moving forward. Still we had good talks and it was all kinds of awesome to feel like I had a family member who actually gave a damn about me just for me, not for what I could do for them.

Preparation for finals was tempered by preparation for our Big Ten Championship game. We went out there and I got to show off my arm. Finn and I had been working on getting me back into quarterback shape and the coach loved the idea of having the starting quarterback, who was a great leader, but by the third quarter was a crap passer, start the third with a fall back, hand off to me and pass way down field to our receiver. So we did just that and I hit the guy right in the sweet spot with a ninety-four yard pass that he ran the two remaining yards in for the touchdown. We were already in one hell of a lead over the Badgers, so it was a no lose situation. And they never recovered. We won that game fifty-nine to zilch. Best of all it got me some serious notice from the sports writers. Of course, one of them hypothesized that I was just stepping up to the plate to fill a void left by my roommate and former teammate. Thankfully, another one brought up the fact that I had actually played quarterback at East Dillon under Coach Taylor.

I went into the study period for my finals feeling like king of the world. For a lot of people that would be a definite set up for failure. But I have a weird issue. Maybe it was because I’d grown out of my ‘if I’m a sports demi-god, I don’t need academics’ phase. But whatever the reason, when I felt that high due to my on the field accomplishments, I worried damn near obsessively about my classes. I studied my ass off for my five exams and worked really, really hard on the one paper I had to write. I managed to get my exams finished on Thursday. Elle was done on Tuesday…mainly because she lucked into three paper classes and even with the NCAA Wrestling Invitational she’d kicked ass at in Vegas, she had those done, edited, revised and turned in by the end of the study period. Then she had gone on to start her exam period with a several individual wins even if the team itself lost against Missouri State. Finn finished his exams on Wednesday morning, so he and Lauren had me pack up before I went to take my last exam and they put my shit in the back of Finn’s truck and picked me up outside the English and Literature building when I was done with my final exam. The three of us headed to Lima at four thirty and got there by six.

Laura and Ben texted us to meet them at BreadStix for dinner. As soon as we got there, we realized that Burt and Carole were there too. We had a great meal laughing and catching up…despite the fact that we’d just seen them about three weeks before and talked to them every day. “Hey, Vince, Laura says that she really only has enough work for you for a few days a week. If you want to earn a little more money, I could use someone who knows bikes at least two days a week. Maybe more once we open our new location over the summer.” Burt stated during a lull in the conversation.

“That would be awesome.” I said happily. I could make twice as much over the course of the summer and that would never be a bad thing. “Where is your new location going to be?” I asked curiously.

Burt and Carole and Ben and Laura went on to tell us all about the new venture the parents were undertaking with their retail park and shopping plaza. Finn laughed. “Wow that is great Burt. You can continue to see your long term clients at the old shop and get a whole new client base at the new one.”

We talked for a while longer. There were many congratulations for both me and Elle about our wins. It was a great night. We headed home and got our stuff unpacked and relaxed. I was surprised to see that I got a text from Finn that wasn’t a group one to Elle too. “Hey, Vince…I need to go to get Lauren something special tomorrow. Can you go with me?”

I texted him back that it wouldn’t be a problem. I totally lied, it totally would be a huge problem. My sister from another mister was nosy as hell. If Finn was going to do what I thought he was wanting to do, I was just going to have to make it happen. The next morning, it turned out to be a non-issue anyway. Lauren took off to go and see her friend Brandon who worked at the freak-em store. Finn and I met up at the mall and we went through both of the jewelry stores there. None of them had anything that looked like my sister and his future. So we left the mall and headed to the free standing Shane and Co. store nearby. There things were tons better, but the simple truth was that he couldn’t afford the kind of ring he really wanted to get her. He and I left and went to get lunch so we could look at things from a new angle. “Alright, you want Elle in your life forever right?”

“Yeah. She is the best part of me.” Finn said sincerely.

I nodded. “Then you have time. Why don’t you start smaller? This Christmas you don’t do the full on engagement ring. You said that you have a thousand saved from the last three months. So why don’t you spend about half and get her one of those smaller rings today and give her a ‘promise’ ring right now. Save the rest and save the same way you have been for a year. Next Christmas, you can give her a nice big ass engagement ring that she will love. I mean, I think that she will love anything that you give her. But you want to give her a big ass ring, so if you can save a grand in three months, you can save four grand in twelve.”

His face lit up and he nodded. “That’s perfect.” He nodded. “Hurry up. I want to get her that pretty one with the swirls we saw at Shane’s.”

I got him settled down enough to finish his lunch and then we went back and got Elle her ring. Then I dragged him back to the mall so we could actually get gifts for the rest of our people too. We had a blast. We also caught an awesome sale at Macys. I was able to get Netta something she had dreamed about since I could remember, a designer pocketbook. So maybe it wasn’t a leather one, but it was a legit Michael Kors tote. Finn reminded me that it wouldn’t get to her before Christmas even if we sent it that day, so I might as well not fight the long ass line at the post office. That spoke to me. I hated post office lines. Laura got a nice scarf, Ben got a cool Bocce Ball set. He loved getting gifts that brought the family closer together. Thank God I’d already gotten Finn and Lauren’s gifts. I still needed to print it on some nice paper and go and grab the stuff to give them their gifts, though. So, to keep the surprise I got it later that day when I was on my way to Laura’s shop. While we’d been in the mall I’d found good gifts for Burt, Carole, Klaine and Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. They all came around Christmas Eve and the year before I’d not gotten any of them anything just because I’d not really known to. So I wanted to make sure that I had my act together for the second chance thing.

I was glad that I got there in time for the real holiday rush. The truth was that Harleys and Harley accessories were a popular gift. I knew that Sam and Mercedes had gotten Puck’s through Laura’s shop. Unless they were tricked all the way out, they weren’t as expensive as a car and it was every man’s dream to own one. Christmas was one of Laura’s busiest times of the year. I helped where ever I could. I changed oil for men who were off work for a few days and could actually ride…even the snow wouldn’t stop them. Changed batteries for some others. I explained to wives and daughters the differences in between Harleys and crotch rockets. I talked them through the choices between the lines and the customization options. I was glad I only worked two to close because with her extended holiday hours, if I’d been there from open to close like I had been during the summer, I’d have dropped from exhaustion. I could not understand how Laura handled it, but she did it six days a week. So I just tried to help out as much as I could.

When we got home, Ben had already gotten dinner together. His job with Cedes and crew had way more flexible hours and since he worked for home…that gave him even more flexibility. He was also making better bank. He and Laura were talking about expanding her shop into a real dealership rather than a shop where you could buy bikes. He confided the plan to me as I washed up and helped him serve dinner for the ladies. “But that wouldn’t happen until twenty-seventeen at the soonest. Not only do we have to save up the franchise fees, we’d have to find a new location and, well, it’s an involved process. Plus, Laura and I never got to have a real honeymoon. So I’m thinking that over the summer she and I might take a week and get away. I finally have the vacation time and I have the money to do something real nice, ya know?” I definitely understood that. The washer dinged before I could say anything though. “Hey, can you grab those sheets and move them to the dryer. Lauren can make the bed in the guest room up after dinner.”

“Sure.” I went to do as asked. I wanted to ask who was coming over, but decided to mind my own business. It would have been rude to ask. If they wanted me to know they would tell me. Of course, by the end of dinner, I had completely forgotten about it. In fact, between conditioning with Finn and Elle, working with Laura and helping Ben around the house. I didn’t think about it at all until I came home from the shop the Tuesday before Christmas and found Netta sitting in the living room with a big ass bow on her head. “Netta?!?” I know I got way too loud, but it was so good to see my sister with my own eyes looking hale and whole and hardy and most importantly clean and sober. “Girl, what are you doing here?”

I ran over and picked her up in a hug. “Man, Bug…you have some damn good friends.” She laughed.

I hadn’t even noticed that Finn was there. Until he and Lauren yelled out “Merry Christmas!”

It still took me a minute to realize that being able to see Netta and be with her for Christmas was my gift from Finn and Elle. I put Netta down and ran over and hugged my peeps. “You guys are awesome. I didn’t even know how much I missed her until I just saw her.”

“Awww…” Netta chuckled. “Did you miss your big sister, Vinnie?”

“Don’t know what crack I was smoking…but yeah I missed your old mean self.” I threw back at her. “But for real, how I mean I get the how. You’re my Christmas gift. But still, what made you…” I said as I drew her over to sit down on the couch.

She just laughed and gave me a big hug. “Elle has been emailing me since you got back here last summer. She hacked your computer for my email address. We’ve been talking and I may have mentioned that I kind of missed my little brother.” She threw Elle a quick smile. “Vinnie, I thought I knew that you had found some good people here, but Lauren and her mom and dad…they are…they really love you.”

“Yeah, I lucked out with both my sisters. Granted that’s because the Lord saw fit to saddle you and me with the most worthless biological father to ever walk the earth. But still both my sister and my sister from another mister are good enough to make up for him. How is Gold-Diggin’ Daddy? I’m surprised that he let you come up here without him.”

“Vinnie, I haven’t seen Ornette since I left that apartment for rehab. I told him quite honestly that I’d lived my life with him and I’d lived it without him and I sure as hell preferred it without his dead weight hanging around my neck choking the life outta me.” Netta grinned.

“And what he was gone when you got home?” I was surprised.

She nodded. “Yeah, along with my damn TV. No good bastard.” She muttered. “But you know what, it was worth it to see the back of him. I really only cared because I was going to sell it myself to get the cash to move out of Dillon.”

I know my mouth was hanging open. “You’re moving out of Dillon?”

Netta nodded. “Nothing keeping me there. Momma’s gone and I can take her urn wherever I go. Not like I’ve got a plot to go to and keep clean or whatever. Besides, if I stay there I ain’t got no future. I was thinking about moving to Dallas and going to that fancy beauty school, Regency…they say they can get financial aid for their students, so I might actually be able to go.”

“Whoa, that’s awesome.” I heard Finn say over my shoulder. Of course, Laura and Ben had given us space and privacy, Elle and Finn, however, not so much. “You know they have one in Columbus. It was on the way to my physical therapist.” He reminded me. We both gave him a side eye. “What? If she is moving anyway, can’t she just move to Ohio just as easily as she can to Dallas? Plus, if she moves closer they you two won’t have to miss each other so much. I kind of really hate only seeing Kurt like five or six times a year. And he’s only been my brother for six years.”

I turned a pleading look to Lauren. “Don’t look at me. I agree with Finn. There is a Regency beauty school really close to where Brandon lives too. His last roommate went there. Dude walked to and from the school.” She got a wicked grin on her face. “In fact when I was down there the other day, he said that he was going to need a new roommie in January. His current one caught feelings for her sugar daddy and he is moving her into some condo near where he works so they can get together on his lunch break.”

“Yeah, but I mean, I have to get a job and what about my car?” Netta scrambled to think things through.

I wasn’t having any of that. “Look, I’ve not actually met Brandon. But if Elle likes him then he’s good people. I know that he’s a big ass, manly gay dude…looks like Superman according to Sam. So you’d be safe and I think that if you get out of Dillon and start working towards something real, you won’t back slide into using again. As for your car. I’d say sell it, but don’t nobody want that PoS. Leave it somewhere with the keys in it and let whoever will take it have it. You can find a job up here just as easily as you can in Texas. You have your high school diploma. You’d be working retail anyway, so you work retail in Columbus instead of Dallas.” I pushed. “You don’t know anybody in Dallas but maybe Jess, and I don’t even know if she is still there.”

“Let me think about it.” Netta said cautiously.

Elle gave her a wicked grin. “Just to sweeten the pot, the place Brandon works at starts paying their part-timers at twelve bucks an hour. Full time is fifteen…plus they are twenty-four hours so you could work full time and do beauty school full time without scheduling conflicts. Plus, full-timers get pretty awesome benefits and they get a shift differential of an extra two bucks for the overnight shift.”

“Damn, where does he work?” Netta asked leaning around me.

I shook my head. “He works at a Freak’em store.”

“Yeah and he and Lauren are totally cool, so he lets her get our things with his discount.” Finn accidentally overshared.

Netta looked at them like ‘oooh, you so nasty’. So I gave her a look that clearly communicated, ‘you have no idea’. I think we confused them when we started laughing. But thankfully family is fam and we just all rolled with it. Dinner that night was live. Laura and Ben and Netta talked about all the things me and Finn and Elle didn’t know to consider about moving to a whole different state. Elle got in on it too. Soon they’d decided that when me and Finn were in New Orleans at the Sugar Bowl, Elle would take Netta to meet Brandon and see how they got along. “If he needs a deposit or first and last…I’ve got some money saved up.” I offered.

“Yeah, for school.” Netta grumbled back. “When you get back you’ll have books and stuff to buy.” She reminded me forcefully.

“I’ve got that covered. I mean, I’ve been working for Laura and I have some money saved. I can help if you need it.” She opened her mouth to argue. “Netta…” I raised an eyebrow, “would you help me if the situation was reversed?”

“Of course I would. You’re my brother.” She sounded so offended so I just looked at her until she realized that she’d just basically said that I should do less to have her back than she would for me. “Fine…but only if I need it. There is a junkman in Dillon that will pay for clunkers. Now you tell me how school is going.”

I allowed the subject change and I told her all about school and getting through my classes some of which were more of a struggle than others. I brought her up to speed on Sasha. We were still good friends. We’d had lunch together a couple of times since we’d both gotten back to Lima. We’d actually tried to find the time to go on a date, but she was working at Best Buy and our schedules just didn’t sync up for it to happen. It was probably best that way because we would just be dating at home and the friends when we headed back to school. My heart wasn’t that changeable. I’d dealt with the back track once. I wasn’t doing it over and over again. When dinner was over I cleared the table and forced Netta to help me load the dishwasher. Primarily because it was loading a dishwasher. We’d only ever hand washed dishes in Texas.

“Remember when we asked Momma if we could get an apartment with a dishwasher?” I asked her with a smile.

She nodded and laughed. “Yeah, she said ‘why should she when God had already given her two of them’.”

We shared a laugh. It didn’t take us long at all to get it loaded and started. But apparently we took long enough for Laura, Ben and Elle to have done some research into beauty schools. As soon as we joined them back in the living room, Laura asks, “How wedded are you to the idea of the Regency School of Beauty. We were looking at things and the Aveda Beauty School has a little more respect when you look over all the reviews. There is one in Columbus and it offers you the choice to go into basic cosmetology or to go deeper into the whole spa type aesthetician training. It is a little longer…but only like two weeks.”

Netta looked confused. “I’ve mainly been looking at the Regency School because that is the one where I went for my makeover when I got out of rehab last month.”

Elle nodded. She could understand that reasoning. It made sense. Netta associated the Regency School with happiness and being clean. That would make her loyal. But at the same time, she also needed to look at the bigger picture and look at what would be the best for her future. So we sat down and talked everything through with her about the two schools and which of them might be better suited. Come to find out that for what she was hoping to accomplish Aveda was actually the better choice. It would allow her to learn more about the underlying chemistry of beauty as a science. Netta had always loved science…well until she got to high school. That necessitated a change of plans that meant she would have to move a lot faster. She had to make a decision as to whether to apply to the school in Dallas or the one in Columbus sooner rather than later because if she didn’t get her enrollment shit down before January fifth for the program that started the day after the MLK holiday…she would have to wait until April to start school. 

There may have been some ganging up on her. Elle got Brandon on Facetime for the introduction and before even I could follow it, Netta had an interview with the manager of the Lion’s Den store he worked at for the Monday after New Year’s and he was down with having her for a roommate. He actually had been hoping to find someone who didn’t do drugs, because his last two roommates had had their own addiction problems. “A recovering addict is much better than one who won’t even admit that going through two fifths of vodka in a week is a serious problem.” Netta smiled shyly so Brandon went on to reassure her. “No, I am for real, I kicked him out when I caught him filming me with my toy. Turned out he was going to post it on a porn site for some quick cash because he blew his stipend for the whole semester on booze. He needed rehab in the very worst way. At least you’ve already jumped that hurdle.”

“Yup, I did a hundred and twenty in house and I have my thirty-day chip too.” She said proudly. Then she smiled in a way I knew meant the next thing out her mouth was going to be wrong as hell. “So you said he was filming you playing with your toy…did you get it at the Freak’em store? What is it gonna be like if I can get hired?” I was a little bit surprised that she didn’t ask anything more invasive. Maybe she was waiting until everything was locked down and she had her shit all together.

By the time we went to bed everything was pretty well set. Netta had already gotten the email containing the registration paperwork and the stuff she would need to do to get financial aid after she was accepted into the program. She had actually graduated high school with a somewhat decent GPA rather than just having a GED so, at least according to the email, her admittance was a sure thing. Brandon was going to scan in the lease and send it to her. He was only asking for a hundred and fifty bucks for Netta’s security deposit so we were good on that end. Plus, he was only charging her five hundred for rent and one fifty a month for her half of the utilities. It was way better than we’d been expecting.

Christmas Eve was pretty awesome too. Netta had gone with me and Laura to the shop. Dressed for the weather, but just a touch hood-chic hottie, Netta was pulling in tons of upsales with the dirty old white guys who were coming in to buy last minute gifts for other dirty old white guys. After just a couple of hours, Laura was teasing Netta that she would have to come back and work weekends for her since she was so good at the job. Netta just laughed and said that if she didn’t get the job in Columbus she might just have to take Laura up on that offer. While we were at the shop, Ben and Lauren were doing the Christmas dinner shopping. Amazingly enough both groups thought that we’d gotten the better end of that bargain. The shop closed at one, so we were able to get home and get cleaned up.

Elle and Laura took care of setting the table and ordering dinner while Ben, Netta and I got as much done as we could for dinner the next day. The Andersons arrived first. They showed up with a bottle of wine as always. They never came without some kind of hostess gift, even though they were coming over to exchange Christmas gifts. Netta looked over at me and mouthed ‘classy’. I couldn’t help but agree. Mrs. Analyn found Netta charming. Apparently Mrs. Analyn had grown up in an area of the Philippines much like Dillon. A place that had once been prosperous, but whose glory days were long gone. She completely approved of Netta getting up out of there. “The further the better. If you only take a few steps away, they will end up trying to drag you back in.” She told us calmly. It sounded like she was speaking from experience.

“That’s why I had to get Vinnie out of there last summer.” I heard Netta whisper. “When Laura called to check on him, I told her that being there wasn’t doing him a lick of good. I asked her not to tell him that we’d talked. I didn’t want him to think that I didn’t love him and want him with me. But I could see the ambition getting sucked right back out of him. I’ve been talking to him and Lauren as much as I could to make sure I didn’t start to back slide or well, I guess I didn’t want to lose hope.”

Mrs. Analyn nodded. “That was wise. I think that you can certainly share this with Vincent now. He will understand that you were doing it to help him. As he is now helping you.”

“Yeah, he is a good kid.” Netta said proudly.

“I would like to help you as well.” Mrs. Analyn said with a smile. “When I came to America, I made friends with a lovely young lady who helped me tremendously. Like me she didn’t have much support. Her mother had died not long before we met. Though she had never met her father, he was black and so her mother had been disowned. It had always been the two of them. Isabella Carter was my roommate freshman year. She became my best friend. She helped me so much and never allowed me to even say thank you. She would always tell me to pay it forward. After college, she got a very prestigious position with Marsh and McLennan Companies. I had just spoken with her the day before. We were going to have a spa weekend to celebrate her birthday just a few weeks later. The day after we finished making the plans a moron with delusions as to what Islam is following a bastard with a grudge flew a plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The office where she worked was immediately in the line of impact. She never stood a chance. When her will was read, she had left me most of the wealth she had amassed. I put it into an endowed trust so that I would be able to use it to pay forward all the help she gave me. I tell you all that to say that every year, I use the interest from the trust to do something good in her name.” She took Netta’s hand. “This year, I’d like to pay your tuition for your beauty school.”

“I…I…I…” Netta didn’t know what to say. How to respond.

“Just say thank you, idiot.” Elle said joining them. I don’t know how much she’d heard, but she had definitely heard the tuition offer. “Student loans are hamstringing an entire generation. This is no different than applying for and getting a scholarship.” Ornetta was still sitting there with her mouth hanging open, so Elle turned to Mrs. Analyn. “Ornetta is amazingly grateful and she will work very hard to make you very proud of her.”

Blaine’s mother was smiling happily. “I’m sure that she will. And, Netta, perhaps after you complete the school, you can return to Lima and apprentice with Jewel’s Spa or with Veronica and Lamar at their shop. By then they will both have more space than they currently do and could probably take on more than one apprentice.”

“Apprentice?” Netta finally croaked as I came out from my hiding spot to join them myself.

“You will find that as much as you will learn in beauty school, a lot of the tricks of the trade are best learned from a master in their field. Veronica has women of color coming all the way from Cleveland to have her do their weaves. Lamar is amazing at coloring hair. Look at Lauren, for example, her hair has highlights and lowlights, but Lamar has made it look completely natural. I know that Jewel’s is not the biggest spa, but I have never met a single soul who had a bad experience with them.”

“Oh, I’m gonna have to disagree with that one. Greta is a sadist. She loves to rip the hair out of people’s skin. I think she enjoys causing others pain.” Elle chimed back in, loudly.

Laura came over and laughed at her daughter. “Are you still whining about getting your legs waxed? You have to have gotten used to it by now.” She teased her daughter.

Elle shook her head. “Yeah, I’m okay with the legs…it’s that Brazilian that I am not down with. That hurts.”

Thankfully, before anyone could dig in on that, dinner arrived. We all ate the delicious Thai food…Blaine’s was still ridiculously spicy, but we saw that he’d gotten it from his mother. The food was good. The company was great. Mrs. Analyn told everyone about her decision to make Netta’s course go a little smoother. Everyone was really happy for her. “I’m glad.” Ben told Mrs. Analyn with a huge smile. “I was going to talk to Haja and Commune about sponsoring her. But if they had done it, probably she’d have been pulled into being Mercedes’ hair person on the road. That wouldn’t be a bad thing. But those industry folks do a lot of drugs. It might have been a bad thing for her to be around.”

Not even Netta could argue with that. It was short work to clear the table then we headed to the living room to do our gift exchange. It was really weird to be opening gifts on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas morning, but were would be plenty to open the next day. That night we were really only opening the gifts form the others, and one gift from each other. Somehow Netta ended up opening the very first gift. She got really pretty nightgown from Kurt. It was a great shade of darker blue with white Hawaiian looking flowers on the bottom. “I had to guess at your size from a picture Finn sent me from Vince’s room. I hope, I got it right.”

“I love it.” She smiled. Just to make him feel better, she checked the size. “It’s perfect. I’m almost back up to my before smackhead weight…so I’m almost back to being a six.”

Kurt’s simile was very much pleased. He went next and found the Ryan Seacrest Distinction palm paisley tie and pocket square. “Oh, Vincent, I love these colors.” He said happily.

“Glad you like it. You’re so into fashion, it was kind of scary to buy you something on that spectrum.” I said honestly. Just continuing the pattern, I reached down and grabbed a present and opened it to find that Burt had gotten me a really awesome Swiss Army knife with a hard wood case. “Wow, this is great.” I told him as I started to go through all the different gadgets in the knife.

“Yeah, just leave it in your room whenever you fly.” He advised me. “I lost one to the TSA…it was a damn good knife too.” He grabbed a flat rectangular, wrapped package for him from Laura and Ben. It turned out to be a framed print showing a Mercedes Benz ‘blueprint’. He smiled brightly and thanked both Ben and Laura.

Since they’d given him a joint gift, they both went next after telling him that they were glad he liked it. Laura opened a DKNY ‘Be Delicious’ gift set from Finn, while Ben opened a Leatherback Writer 3 that allowed him to carry notes or whatever wherever he went. They were both really appreciative. Carole went next and ended up opening her gift from Ben which turned out to be a travel mug, two different double walled water bottle and a covered ceramic soup mug. They each had a different quote about being a nurse. She really like them. Though she did say that she would save the water bottle that read ‘Brain of a Doctor, Heart of a Nurse’ for using at home. I didn’t know Cooper very well. But he did seem to really like the Sandalwood Art of Shaving starter kit I’d gotten him. Mr. William loved the cool wooden handled umbrella that Netta had found for him. Then he seemed a little jealous of the black Charter Club microvelour bootie memory foam slippers that Elle had gotten Mrs. Analyn.

After we were pretty much finished, Finn stood up and pulled the jewelry box from his pocket. He got down on one knee in front of Elle. “Lauren, you are more than I deserve. You are so far above me I probably shouldn’t even ask, but I want you to be my wife. I figured that I should get you a ring that showed you just how much you mean to me…but engagement rings cost way more than I thought they did. I mean, I heard that save up for two months thing. So I saved up for three and thought I’d be able to get you something worthy of you. When I realized that I didn’t have enough to get you a ring that you deserved, I got really discouraged. But then Vince told me to just get a promise ring as a promise that I will get you the ring of your dreams. So will you marry me, Lauren Zizes…even though it is going to take me at least a year to save up and get you a ring that is worthy of you?”

“Awww, you adorable idiot. I love you. Of course, I’m going to marry you. I finally have you trained.” She told him accepting the ring. Then she proceeded to kiss him so deeply and passionately, that we were all uncomfortable. Still we could all see the love between them. They had gone through so very much to get to where they were, we all wanted them to have their happily ever after.

As the Laura, Mrs. Analyn and Netta crowded around Elle to look at the ring, we men congratulated Finn on their engagement or engagement to get engaged. I wasn’t exactly sure. The rest of the night passed in a joyous revelry. The next morning was even happier. I got some really great gifts from Netta and the Zizes members of my family. I got a grown man watch, a great duffle bag for going back and forth to the gym. I got my sister there with us. Then there were the reactions to the gifts I’d gotten other people. Elle about lost her mind when she saw the ticket to the WWE Money in the Bank pay per view that was being held in Columbus that summer. She got even happier when I assured her that yes, I’d gotten Finn a ticket too. Netta almost jumped on me for the Michael Kors bag. Lauren’s favorite Christmas carol was ‘Let’s Stay in Our PJs all Christmas Long’ so we spent the morning lounging around in our pajamas. But no one wanted to be in them as we ate dinner so we changed into something comfy-casual clothes that we could eat in and then relax and play with our gifts. It was really cool, like a Norman Rockwell Christmas card for a new century.

The next day was pretty cool too. That morning, we all slept in then we got up, got dressed and joined the rest of Elle and Finn…and mine now too…crew and their immediate families at the Wyndham in one of their conference rooms. The pot luck was set up and we all ate drank and made merry. Lauren wasn’t the only one sporting some new bling. There was a whole lot of joy being shared. I introduced Netta to Mrs. Dani and Mr. Benton and they showed her pictures of Kevon…I was kind of sad she couldn’t see us together, side by side, that shit was hilarious.

Mercedes and her guys pulled us all together to give us our Christmas gifts from them which turned out to be tickets to South by Southwest over spring break and a flight to go there and get back to school. I really loved being cool with KAMA. They also gave out tickets to go to New York for that New Year’s Eve party. I hated the fact that me and Finn couldn’t go. We had to be back in Columbus on Monday to head down to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. Thankfully, Sam and Noah followed football well enough to have realized that we’d not be there. So they invited Netta and asked Elle to invite Brandon, since they had two more tickets. Netta tried to argue. Cedes wasn’t letting her out of going though. “Oh no, you've gotta come. You need to meet Kev in person so you can see we aren’t playing. There really are two of them. I mean, Vince even plays the same positions that Kev used to. Granted Kev didn’t go to college playing…but still.” Over the next ten to fifteen minutes, I watched Mercedes talk circles around Ornetta. Before Cedes was done, I was fairly certain that Netta thought that it was her idea.

The next morning, while the NYC crew was heading back to the city that never sleeps, Finn and I were winging it down to The Big Easy. The game was amazing. The Buckeyes came out with a seven-point win over the Crimson Tide. The fact that we were heading to the college football national championship meant that the party that night was straight up ridiculous. Elle had gotten Finn a tiger’s eye and silver ring for Christmas, because in that crew, if a relationship was serious enough for the guy to get the girl a ring, then she got him one too. But where Elle had gotten her ring in front of the biological fam, Finn got his in front of the ‘chosen’ fam. It was really cool though. He was showing it off all night. Every chick at the party was talking about how cool it was that he was so deeply committed to his girl.

We headed back to Lima as champions especially since Coach Meyer, credited Finn with the drop back pass play that had gotten us that final touchdown and conversion. Still, conquering heroes or not, we ended up helping Netta get set up at Brandon’s and everything. In the end, she hadn’t even gone back to Dillon. She had gotten Virgil ‘Big Meri’ Merriweather, Jess’ dad, to sell everything he could and he put the money in her account. He mailed her things like Momma’s urn and Netta’s clothes, but other than that he sold it all and managed to get her almost a thousand dollars. She used that to buy some furniture for her bedroom and to get the stuff she needed for school. It was all kinds of cool helping her get set up like the Zizes and Hudson-Hummels had done for me. It was a very positive king of vibe we carried into the National Championships. So even though the game was in Arlington…a stone’s throw from Dillon…I didn’t feel any of my usual angst about my hometown. My home was in Ohio. I was finally free. I ran like the wind in that game. We managed to beat the Oregon Ducks forty-two to twenty. The Buckeye were the national champions. Damn, freedom felt sweet as hell.

 

Darcy PoV

I was having the best year in the history of years. I graduated college. I got a bomb ass job that I loved. I was making a hell of a lot more than most of my classmates, especially considering how many of them hadn’t even been able to find jobs by that point. I was living in a city most people dreamed of being in. I had a great roommate and the best bosses a chick like me could ask for. I was happier than I had any real right to be. In fact, the only complaint on the horizon was that I had the perfect thing going with a fucking sexy Cubano and I was probably going to ruin it by catching feelings even though we had both agreed that it was just a sexual relationship and love was for other people. Yeah, when I left Manhattan, to go home. I was actually really excited, but then I realized that it would be at least three or more weeks until I could see Lester again. That felt like a punch to the gut. It wasn’t until then, that I realized that I felt way more for him than I was supposed to. To be honest it freaked me the fuck out. Like for serious.

The flight home wasn’t very long. Minneapolis-St. Paul was a pretty big deal so there were always flights in and out of the Twin Cities. I had cheated for real though. I hadn’t told my parents exactly when I would be flying in. If I had, they would have forced the issue of them picking me up from the airport. Instead, I’d arranged a rental car for myself. That would give me freedom of movement for the time I was home. The drive from the airport to Dennis’ and Mom’s house wasn’t very long. I had timed things so that I would miss both rush hours, be able to get in, get my stuff put away in my room and have everything be a fait-accompli whenever whichever of them got home first. It almost went according to plan. I got there, parked, let myself in, sent Mercedes, Hudson and Lester texts to let them know that I’d arrived safely. By the time I had gotten my bags in, I had heard back from all of them. Lester was off shift so he and I ended up texting like mad so nothing was put away when Dennis got home. In fact, I was still wearing my coat. I was so deep in the text I was sending that I didn’t even realize that my stepfather had gotten home until he leaned over my head where it was resting on the arm of the sofa and cracked “Hey Darcy-gal…why don’t you take off your coat and stay a while.” I jumped up gracefully, okay so the reality of that was that I fell off the sofa, cracking an elbow and both boobs on the coffee table, but then I scrambled to my feet so I could hug the man who was the best father in the world even if he didn’t have to be. 

“Let me just finish letting Captain Caveman know that I made it home safe and sound.” I hedged the truth by about an hour. I quickly told Les that my parents were home…a half-truth but still…and gave Dennis my undivided attention. When Mom got home, Dennis and I were on the floor in front of the coffee table laughing so hard that we could barely breathe. It was totally my fault too. I had told him the story of Puck and Sam getting into a twitter beef with some super-nerd from Springfield about the real nature of Captain America and Bucky Barnes’ relationship. All three of my bosses were major Stucky shippers. “So then Mercedes and I had to spend the next twenty minutes talking Puck out of posting a picture of his ass. Yeah, he totally wanted to moon the guy long distance.”

“Well, I’m glad you succeeded. I have never not regretted mooning someone in person, let along digitally.” Dennis started to chuckle just as he was getting his breath back.

“Dennis Lewis, are you telling our impressionable Darcy about your heathenistic past.” Mom chided jokingly.

We had a blast over the next couple of weeks. I’d gotten there in enough time to help decorate the house for Christmas. We talked to Aunt Laura and Uncle Ben a few times before Lauren made it home. I also had plenty of time to figure out what to get my mom. Dennis was easy…I got him the very best, newest, most awesomest laptop on the market…well, I got him all the best possible components so he could build it himself. He much preferred things that way. Christmas morning, Mom opened her iPad and I felt like the best daughter in the world. I’d almost not gotten it because I knew I was in for trouble when she figured out how to work Facetime…but I decided to take the risk. It would give her all the functions of a computer without being one. She hated having to even touch a computer after spending all day on one at her job I totally didn’t understand it. But that was how she felt, so I felt that as her daughter, it was important that I support her insanity. After all, once she got sober, she’d always supported mine.

Still everything wasn’t all super-duper, well adjusted, family time. I did work some time. It still tripped me out that I could call what I did ‘work’…four hours every morning and four hours every afternoon. I was able to stave off two attempts at denigrating Mercedes by some Latina with an obsession with gold stars. I was kind of getting sick of her when the drama with the autograph bitch went down. When the same chick latched onto that to try and throw some ‘bows at my bosses, I finally had had enough. I went to see Dennis at his job. Two hours with a nice and secure cable internet connection and the fastest processor to be found in Minneapolis and I had both an alias and a name. Estrella de Oro was the handle of Ba Raquelle Hueva which was the alias of one Rachel Berry. That name was really familiar to me. But it still took me a while to place it. When I finally realized that it was actually the name of a former member of Lauren and my bosses’ high school glee club, I had a hard choice to make.

I decided that I needed more information. So I went through her entire online presence, real and fabricated. That bitch struck me as totally cray-cray. So I shot Lester a long email detailing all that I had found out and shot it to him asking him to pass it along to Hector. Mr. Gutiérrez was awesome. I mean, his GUI was the best and there was no one with kung-fu like him…other than me and my friend Ravi from MIT. But Ravi got paid a hell of a lot of money to make sure that no one had better kung-fu than him. Probably…if I were to be completely honest, I would have to admit that Hector had Ravi beat, but loyalty compelled me to never admit that out loud. I wasn’t yet sure what to do with the information. I didn’t want to be a snitch if the bitch was a threat. But if she was, cyber stalking could get the little brat some serious time.

Christmas day was very different as a quasi-adult than it was as a child. We slept ‘til ten, where when I was little I’d be up before the sun. Granted some of those early Christmases had been depressing as all fuck, but I’d made it through and ended up having like seven great Christmases before becoming too old for the ass crack of dawn wake ups. There were huge mugs of coffee, rather than smaller mugs of chocolate and there were less gifts under the tree, but the ones that were there were deeply meaningful, well thought out and way more expensive. Like the brown leather Fossil Sydney work bag, matching saddle bag purse and small wallet my mother had gotten me. Or the ridiculously beautiful garnet and diamond locket I’d gotten her that had a picture of me with PopPop and Grandma from way back and one of me, her and Dennis that Lauren had taken of us at my graduation. The iPad just hadn’t felt like enough considering that I hadn’t even made a ding in my bonus, let alone an actual factual dent. Dennis had gotten her a really nice pair of peridot and emerald earrings. Mom loved the symbolism of having their two birthstones together like that.

But I had gotten myself a really nice present while I was looking for jewelry for Mom. I had been trying to avoid Mall of America. It was just too big, too loud, too many stores…just too much and coming from me that said a lot. But no matter how many boutique jewelry stores I’d gone too, I couldn’t find anything that spoke to me. Finally I broke down and hit the biggest mall in the history of mallage. Finally, I found the perfect thing in Macys. While I was there I didn’t just find a wicked cool pair of Beats by Dre wireless head phones, on sale; my me present…I also found a perfect dress and shoes for the New Year’s Eve party Brantley had set up for our bosses to be seen at and Mercedes had already told me that I was going to whether I wanted to or not.

Not that I didn’t want to go. Partying like a rock star for free was totally my jam. Hell for the first time in…well, ever…I’d even have a date for the thing. Rangeman’s New York office ran the security for the club. They had what basically amounted to an open invitation to be there whenever they wanted. So Lester would totally be my arm candy while I smoozed with the rich and famous. KAMA wasn’t going to be the only artists in the house either. I had it on good authority that both Drake and Lil Wayne would be there too. That club was banking KAMA, Weezy and Drake fans to spend more than enough to make the two plus million they had to have forked out to have those six famous musicians present.

Yeah, Brantley had been super excited when he called the bosses about going for the deal. He hadn’t realized until he got the contract in that it was five hundred grand each, not for the group as a whole. So basically one day into the new year, and Brantley will have made the bosses over one point three million after they gave Haja his seventy-five grand and Brantley himself got his cut of just a little over seventy-one thousand dollars. That wasn’t bad. I was happy as hell for him. Especially since he was looking to take on booking of one to two hustling bands…his way of reaching back to help those in need…and he wanted to pay me to handle their social media. All on the up and up and with full consent of our magnanimous, benevolent employers. Those three were serious about all of us making as much bank as we wanted to as long as it didn’t interfere with their business. I liked that about them.

My time with Mom and Dennis flew by pretty quickly. They were happy to have me home. I decided since I was home for such a long time and had the cash, I would go ahead and finally do something with my childhood bedroom. Thankfully, they were cool with me updating the room. I mean, I understood that it was my room so they hadn’t changed it, but there were still Nirvana and Pearl Jam posters on the wall for Christ’s sake. So Mom and I took a few hours on a Saturday and we went to a great flea market and had a blast. We came back with some actual art work done by local artists for my walls, a new rug, and thanks to a quick stop by Bed Bath and Beyond a new comforter set that really made it all work. When I got back to my apartment in Harlem, I actually found myself missing my room in a way I hadn’t experienced since freshman year. It was weird. However, one thing I didn’t miss was sharing one bathroom among three people or the fact that their water heater hated me. No matter how long I gave it after they were up and dressed, I always ran out of hot water half way through washing my hair. Yeah, it hated me…if the machines rose up while I was visiting my parents, I would not be spared.

Even though I’d told Lester my flight information, I never expected to see him waiting on me at LaGuardia. I was almost ashamed at how freaking happy I was to see him. Like, just coming home from a war dropped all my shit, well not my messenger bag…it had my laptop inside, and ran and climbed him like a tree, happy. Yeah, I did that shit. But there was something that stopped the embarrassment train in its tracks, we met in the middle. That meant that I hadn’t been the only one happy to see him. He’d missed my ass too. Yup. Any messy, uncomfortable emotions fucking up what was supposed to just be no strings attached boning…were certainly shared. More than certainly…indubitably. So much so that, after we grabbed my thankfully unmolested or stolen bags, he didn’t take me the thirty minutes back to my apartment. Instead he drove me an hour and half to Trenton to his apartment in the super secure Rangeman building.

I looked over at him in confusion. We’d been talking and laughing and I hadn’t paid any attention to how long we’d been driving or even what direction we’d been going. “I want you to meet some people. And I want to see those amazing tits of yours bouncing in my bed for a change.” He said simply.

I was still so shocked, that I let him pull me out of the car and into the elevator. “My stuff…” I looked back.

“Trust me, no one will bother anything in this garage.” He laughed. I noticed that he pushed the five on the button panel. What really surprised me was that there were eight buttons on the panel, but only one, two and five were selectable as far as I could tell. “Security firm. If I clicked my fob, other floors would be accessible.” He answered my unasked question.

“That’s cool.” I breathed a little stupidly.

As soon as the door opened on the fifth floor, I was greeted by a wall of black. A breathing wall of black. My eyes traveled up until I saw the same logo that adorned Lester’s shirts. I kept going up until I finally saw something other than the wall of black cotton…instead it was a neck…I was pretty sure that was a neck…that seemed to be hewn from mahogany. Before I could stop myself, words escaped from my lips. “Whoa, there, big fella. I think if there were two of me, I could stand on my own shoulders and still be shorter than you.” I poked his chest…that was one seriously hard pectoral muscle. “I’m as tall as you are wide and yet there isn’t any fat on you is there?”

Lester, brave, foolish Lester patted the big guy on his stomach and chuckled. “That’s why we call him Tank. Tank Sherman, Darcy Lewis, Darcy Lewis Tank ‘Never say his first name upon pain of death’ Sherman.”

I laughed. “You know; my cousin Lauren feels that same way about her middle name. Which I can never understand. I mean, Amelia is an awesome middle name. Amelia Earhart was…she was the first lady of flight. A total feminist icon.”

Tank looked down at me gave me a smile in greeting and then smirked at Lester. “You brought Ms. Lewis to meet with Hector and Ranger?”

Lester shook his head. “I brought her to see where I live and spend a little time getting to know the people I care about. I didn’t know that Hector and Ranger wanted to see her until I was already at the airport waiting on her.”

If I thought that the look Tank had given Lester before was a smirk…the look he gave him when he heard that was so smug it had transcended a smirk and went into a whole new stratosphere of superciliousness. “Well, well, well…maybe now that you’ve found yourself a woman, you’ll stop harassing Hal and the boss. Ms. Lewis, it is definitely a pleasure to meet the woman who had Lester running up and down the highway every time he could string two days off together.” He told me with a grin.

Next thing I knew this huge man had taken my hand so gently I couldn’t even imagine that those huge hands could be so gentle and put it in the crook of his elbow. As we headed towards the head honcho’s office, Tank barked at someone named Junior to go and get my bags out of Lester’s car and take them to his apartment. Lester just cracked a smile and tossed the guy his keys. I walked into the office and finally had faces to put to names. Ricardo Carlos Manoso was hot like fire. He really was too attractive to be real. So I told him so. Then I think I ruined it, “Yeah…I hope that I never have to keep my mind right when you, Lester and Roman are in the same room. Still though A-plus-plus on your genetic makeup. BT-Dubs, do you guys only hire men that are a seven or up on the hotness scale because if you need a chick to be on your selection committee…look no further…been ogling cute guys since two-thousand and four.”

Ranger gave me a long look. Then he turned to Tank, “after this meeting me and Babe will be going off line. I am taking her to Point Pleasure. I do not want her and Ms. Lewis in the same building.”

I think I was insulted. “Hey, my boss Lady Cede says that Ms. Plum was really nice and a hoot and a half. The second that I realized where we were I started looking forward to meeting her.” I pouted adorably.

Lester laughed. “Maybe next time, Gorgeous…give Bobby and Ella the time to Beautiful and Gorgeous proof the joint.”

Hector looked at the other three men who were all looking a little worried. He chuckled and spoke in almost too rapid for me to follow Spanish, “La Bonita and Angelita will be fine…as long as Angelita’s Abuela is kept far, far away.”

I understood what he said, but I didn’t get what was so funny about it, so I decided to let it slide. “So Lester’s cousin-slash-bro in arms-slash-bossman…what’s the what?”

“I was hoping to talk to you about developing a social media presence for Rangeman.” Ranger said bluntly.

I raised an eyebrow…or tried to only raise one…didn’t work so well. “Well, color me confused. Because given the way I could only find you guys in the Better Business Bureau…I assumed that you had gone out of your way to ensure that you had no online presence.”

“We had. However, we have begun to lose out to companies who are able to receive and place reviews online. It would seem that despite having the best BBB rating in the field…” Ranger started.

I continued for him, “People prefer anecdotal and subjective…often tangential reviews to the dry BBB reports.”

“Basically,” Lester agreed, “we have enemies, so while we need to have the company have a presence to grow Rangeman…we cannot have individual presences.”

I looked at them thoughtfully. “That should actually be very easy. Why isn’t my man Hector handling it for you?”

“Because I don’t want to.” Hector bluntly stated in his native tongue. “The one time I looked at a twitter feed, I wanted to find the asshole it belonged to and earn another tear drop.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good reason to avoid it.” I returned.

Ranger took control of the meeting back with ease. “We will provide you with an encrypted and protected laptop for your use that will be as untraceable as Hector can make it. For maintaining a twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn account for Rangeman, we will pay you twelve hundred and fifty dollars a week, gross. You would be on our rolls as a contract worker therefore it will not impact your current employment any more than a few hours a week. However, that will mean that you’ll receive a 1099 not a W2.”

I gave him my resting bitch face look. “So what it the catch?”

“We’d ask that you not use our laptop to hack any federal databases.” Tank tossed out.

“I don’t know that I can make that promise. I need to keep check on the old biological bastard. He likes them young and isn’t above getting them hooked on some foul shit to make them stupid enough to fall for the crap he’s shoveling. If he ever gets careless enough to get caught I want to know. Social Security is the best jumping off point for that.”

Hector gave me a look that would have been chilling if I didn’t realize that I wasn’t his prey. “La Bonita, I will keep an eye on him for you. Maybe if he gets careless, we can make sure that he gets caught.”

We continued negotiations. Once we were all happy with the terms, one of which was that I got to have Lester to myself for every three-day weekend for the whole first year of said contract. Tank offered me an extra five grand in gratitude for getting him out of Trenton so much…but I was seventy-seven percent sure that he was just joking. Lester took me down to four and showed me his apartment…we started the tour in the bedroom. I didn’t see anything else until the next day. After we got up and showered, we sat on his couch and exchanged Christmas gifts. Ultimately, I’d had some serious trouble picking gifts for Lester. The man already had whatever he wanted. But I allowed my girly side to figure out what I would get him. Girly side said to get him shit to make sure he brings his ass home every time he has to go out and bring in some dumbass criminal who just isn’t smart enough to do his bid and get that shit out of the way. So I went online and found him a wicked cool pen, made by a knife company that could, in a pinch, do a hell of a lot of damage. The next thing I got him was a three part, layered, tactical jacket that was actually three lightweight jackets that could be layered to offer enough warmth for Les to be comfortable all the way down to below freezing temperatures. But what made up my mind to spend the three hundred bucks was that each layer had a Kevlar shell inside to add an extra layer of protection for him in the field. I wanted to get him a gun, but then in my reading I realized that not only was buying guns more involved than I thought, not as involved as it probable should have been but still, there was an element of personal preference that I just didn’t have enough information to be able to be sure that I’d get him the perfect thing. So instead I got him a really awesome crossbow. Like ridiculously cool, I may have held it in the hunting goods store and felt immediately like Darcy the Vampire Slayer. I’d more than reached the limit I set for myself for his gifts, but then when I was getting Mom her awesome locket, I’d seen a watch that just screamed LESTER SANTOS…it was a Ferrari for Christ’s sake. So I got him that too.

I was feeling all kinds of anxiety about how much I had gotten him. I was kind of cool on spending that much since I’d actually used my Amazon gift card from the bosses for a couple of his gifts. But I knew that he wouldn’t know that. Plus, I had four boxes for him in my checked baggage…one of them was really, really big. Since I was starting to lose my ‘Damn that man gives the best fucking orgasms’ high, I made him open his gifts first so that the waiting could fucking stop. He grabbed for the biggest box first, because, of course he did. Thankfully, his eyes lit up like it was still Christmas morning when he saw the crossbow. “Holy Shit.” He breathed. “I’ve always wanted one of these since back in the day. We got to use them a couple of times in weapons training.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “I’m glad…I was sure about it, but I figured that since I wasn’t sure about your preferred hand gun specs, I’d go for it. If you hated it, I’d just take it back and pretend to be Buffy or something.”

He gave me a dirty leer. “You can still play Buffy…but we’ll pretend I’m Armand from Interview. Angel was too morose, Angelus was too evil, Spike was cool, but this Cubano/Rican sure as hell ain’t that Anglo.” He teased.

Lester went to hand me one of my gifts from him but I shook my head. “No, I’m going to need you to open all your gifts before I actually vomit from nerves…that would not be a good look.”

He gave me a weird look then took my hands. “Look Gorgeous. I know we haven’t said anything…but you are not alone in worrying that the gifts you got say too much and show too much. Okay?” I looked in his eyes and may have freaked out about what I saw there. I was pretty sure that he understood it. Finally, I nodded. “Alright, so I will open one more then you can open two of yours.” He grabbed the smallest box, which contained the deadly pen. “I’m starting to sense a theme.” He glanced over at me.

“Yeah well, I figured that I would get you gifts that make it more likely that you will be able to continue to give me massive amounts of orgasms for the foreseeable future.” I hedged my bets, admitting a little, but not enough.

“It’s really cool. I’ll feel like I should introduce myself as Santos, Lester Santos every time I carry it. Plus it will help with the naked feeling I get when I have to go to a client meeting somewhere that I cannot go dressed.” He laughed. I had learned that particular bit of Rangeman lingo a while back. They didn’t consider themselves fully dressed without two guns and a couple of knives on their person. “Now you.” He smiled and passed me a gift bag. “Ummm, before you open that…never mind just open it.”

I shook off my surprise at his moment of nervousness. He was seven years older than me. I thought that he had his shit together too much to sweat the small stuff. I should have realized that he wouldn’t have been nervous for something small. In the bag, all I saw at first were two red and white jewelry boxes. They contained two different sapphire and diamond bangle bracelets that were about three quarters of an inch wide each. They were definitely from the same designer and there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that they were real, like really, really real. “Wow…I mean…these are beautiful. I’ve never owned any real jewelry before…well that isn’t true. I had a pair of diamond stud earrings but they disappeared from my dorm room.” I babbled in his general direction. “These are really expensive.” I blurted out. At least I felt better for having spent so much on him. 

He looked me deep in my eyes and simply replied, “You are worth all I spent and more.”

Okay then. “Okay then.” I accepted his statement as sincere. Not that Lester couldn’t dish out lines, but his tended to be more of the cheese variety. “So back to you now?”

He shook his head. “Nope…I said you had to open two.” I looked at the two bracelets that I’d put on my wrists. “One bag means one gift. But can I say that I’m loving seeing you in those and nothing else.” I laughed but took the next gift bag he handed me. Again inside the bag was a red and white box. That time the box held a pair of sapphire and diamond earrings. They were large rhombi of filigree silver with the sapphires and pave diamonds set in the filigree. The large rhombi were suspended from the silver and sapphire stud with a pave diamond length, just long enough to hold one more sapphire. I loved them immediately.

“These are going to great with my dress for New Years’ Eve.” I said once I finished gushing a little stupidly.

Lester laughed. “I thought so too when you sent me that pic of it. I got you the sapphires because I thought that they were the same color as your eyes right before you cum your hardest.”

We finished opening our gifts. In addition to the bracelets and earrings, I received another, thicker bangle from the same designer with blue topaz and diamonds. Apparently, my eyes were normally the color of those stones. My last gift bag contained a five carat asscher cut sapphire surrounded by a halo of pave diamonds pendant on a twenty-two inch chain. We both loved our Christmas gifts and were sure that the other had given us the best gifts we’d ever received. We made love, acknowledged as such, for the very first time. Amazingly, it was just like the times we’d fucked for the last month or so before I went home. Which meant that the emotional shift had happened before Thanksgiving. I guess our bodies knew our hearts before our minds would accept what they were screaming. He took me back to Harlem Sunday evening. Before I left Rangeman’s Trenton office, I’d signed a very lucrative contract to handle establishing and proliferating Rangeman’s online presence. Monday morning, I was in my office getting shit handled for both of my bosses. I was really having the best year ever. I couldn’t wait to see how the next one was going to shape up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 is actually Chapters 3&4  
> If i receive enough reviews for this and the next posting, I will post the second half of chapter 3 on Monday August 29th...and post the real Chapter 4 (Number 5) on the following Thursday, which will give you three new chapters in one week. 
> 
> You think about it and leave me a comment if you'd like to receive an extra chapter next week.
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	3. I’ll Be Home for Christmas (Part A)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****
> 
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories

Mercedes PoV

The two-hour ride back from Ann Arbor to Lima should have been fairly quick and uneventful. With so many helpful hands, it hadn’t taken us long to load up Kev and Dev’s vehicles, and the U-Haul the two couples were sharing. We checked out of the hotel at nine, everyone met at Angelo’s Diner, near the brand new graduates’ condos and had a really good diner breakfast before those who had to pull on out to make flights or to get home at a reasonable hour headed out. That still left Uncle Christophe, Uncle Ethan and Amanda, Uncle Bryant, Nadia and Melissant, Daniel and Riker, Saul and Mills, and a whole bunch of strong back and hands to get everything done quickly and efficiently. Franklin even helped while Hannah and Stacey watched those too little to do anything other than get under foot. We got on the road to Lima a little after one. Thankfully, we’d had such a big breakfast the only people who were hungry were the young kids, Jake and Stevie. And Momma knew teenage boys and young kids so they were covered on the snack side of things.

Of course, snacking toddlers and infants meant potty breaks and diaper changes. Thankfully, caravan though we were, everyone had cell phones, so when we needed to pull off outside of Toledo, we were able to communicate that throughout the whole family and stick together. We could have gone on, but the parents and grandmothers had all been adamant that we stay with the group. While we were waiting on everyone to finish up and get back in the cars, Brantley called us. I was so shocked when his name came up on the screen, I almost dropped my phone. Brantley didn’t call…he emailed, he texted, he IMed, he facetimed…but if he was calling something was seriously up.

“Are you all still gonna be back in NYC the Saturday after Christmas?” he asked a little abruptly once the pleasantries had been seen to.

“Yeah, we’ve got studio time booked that afternoon. Why?” Puck asked him in return.

“What would you say to five hundred grand to party the night away on New Year’s Eve?”

Sam gave the phone a weird look. “I’d say are we being paid that or being asked to pay that.”

Brantley’s laugh was a lot warmer than you’d expect given how plain NEW YORK he always seemed. “Man, you’d be getting paid that, Sam. I know that you three don’t like to leave your house for anything but school and work.”

“Who needs to leave when they have the good-good at home.” Puck shot back.

“The band will be back by then…” I murmured trying to think if we could get a performance together that quick.

“Naw…it isn’t for a performance. They just want you guys to come, hit the VIP, mingle…If you guys will be seen at Provocateur ringing in the new year, you earn a cool five hundred large.” Brantley explained. “I’ve got them on the other line right now.”

Puck got a devious look on his face. “How many people can we bring? We were trying to figure out how we could party with our friends that night. There are thirteen of us plus significant others, the bros and brides, Darcy, Hudson, and you, if you want in. See if you can get them to okay us rolling twenty-five deep.”

“Hold up.” Brantley said and we could hear him talking on what was probably the phone at his desk. That guy was a serious workaholic. He came back to his cell a few minutes later. “I need names and ages…no one not at least twenty. However, since I’m just that damn good, I’ve got you, you three plus twenty-five. They would like to run a promotion…anyone who gets there between ten and eleven and mentions KAMA…would get in free.”

“I’m down with that. That place is hella expensive. Some guy took Bubbie there trying to show off. The drink prices are no joke though so he got humiliated when his card stopped going through like an hour into the date. She told Mom all about it. Bubbie had tried to get him to chill…but he couldn’t see that she didn’t give a rat’s ass…” Puck added.

Sam and I quickly thought it through and we decided that we were good too. “We’ll get you the names and ages later tonight. Tell them you will have it to them by Monday…then go home. What are you even doing at the office. It’s the Sunday before Christmas?” 

“I’ll let them know. I was waiting on the last of the contracts for your tour to get in. I need to get it all ready to email to Ethan for a double check. You guys will need to sign them the Monday after you get back so we can get shit all locked down. Lyor wants to start the early promos before the end of January. The tickets for the first concerts will need to be available by Valentine's at the absolute latest.” He explained diligently. He got off with the booking agent from Provocateur and came back to us. “Which reminds me, I’ve talked to the guys who did the stage for the VMAs and the ones who just handled the set for the AMAs. We’re in talks to buy those stages, so we don’t have to build our own. Just wanted to give you a heads up.”

“Okay. I didn’t even think about sets. So…we’ll need a transfer truck too?” Sam said thoughtfully. “I mean; we’re covered on the buses. There is the instrument hauler…we’d still need an actual big rig even if those two are the only sets we have.”

Brantley sounded thoughtful. “Maybe two. Mr. Cohen, Haja and Hummel are talking major ass production level for this tour…so probably need one for costuming and tech and one for sets. I’ll talk to the guys who made the sets and see if there is any way they can make them look somewhat different and make the levels more flexible but still safe. That way the configuration can be changed for it…maybe even twice…to give you some variety of sets without having to do as much changing and as much hauling.”

“Alright…email them and then go home. Man, we love that you’re loyal and dedicated…but you are making me feel like Scrooge McDuck right now.” Puck told him with a laugh.

“Puck, man…you mean Ebenezar Scrooge…Scrooge McDuck was a skinflint…ya know what? Never mind.” Brantley laughed. “Now, I’m gonna have the damn Duck Tales’ theme song in my head all day. Bye. Enjoy the rest of Hanukkah and have a Merry Christmas.” He signed off.

Nikki came skipping back with Hudson and Momma and once we got her into her booster seat and Hudson was buckled in…if Puck joked about her needing her own booster seat more time, she was probably gonna slug him…we got back on the road. As we motored down I-75, we brought Hudson up to speed on our new New Year’s Eve plans and started the process of coordinating with our crew to get all the names and ages that Brantley needed to send to the club. As soon as we had everyone’s agreement to go…and yeah…no one was allowed to say no…then Hudson started coordinating the travel. Since all of our peeps would still be in Lima then, it was actually pretty easy. Dev, Kev, Tonya and Tricie would be in New York already. Mom and Dad had gotten Bubbie Ruth a family portrait package, so everyone was going back to the city with us and returning to Lima the afternoon of the first. Then the dads were going to help ‘the bros and brides’ as Puck called them, drive down to Atlanta to start the next phase of their lives.

As soon as we arrived in Lima, our entire caravan of family decided that they were going to our new house first. I overheard Uncle Bryant telling Saul that he wasn’t missing us seeing the place for the first time for love nor money. When we pulled up in front of the palatial estate, I suddenly understood all the whispering among the parental units whenever we mentioned the house. Hell, I’d been warned and I was still in a state of shock. We pulled into the courtyard, but for some reason, I didn’t even think about pulling into one of the four garage bays. George and Sander were both looking sheepish as Sam and Puck turned to them with a total look of WTF.

“I will readily admit that this is not the good sized six bedroom house you were probably expecting.” Sander started out. I could tell that he was seriously embarrassed. His accent was just that thick. “We got a little bit carried away.”

“Dude…this place looks like it should be on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” Puck shot back.

Sam looked completely out of his element. “How much did this even cost?”

George was blushing so hard he looked like a tomato. “Little shy of eight hundred and fifty thousand. Then your moms gave your decorator a budget of another two hundred and fifty thousand.”

“I didn’t think we’d planned on spending that much.” I groaned. It wasn’t that uber-significant, in the whole scheme of things…but being over extended wasn’t a good thing.

I said as much and Angel Mom shook her head. “No, we kept everything to cash purchases. No credit was used…and when the appraisers finished going over everything…they appraised it at three point four five million. You guys have made your initial outlay back already times three.” She assured us.

“Wait…this place is worth how much?” I heard Devon ask as the four of them joined us where we were standing in the yard like a bunch of ‘Boo-Boo da fools’. “Damn, MeDe…you got room for your brothers?”

“Hell if I know.” I shot back. “But seems like I should have room for the population of a small third world nation.”

Gabby laughed for a solid minute. “Devon…you and Tonya are on the third floor with MeMaw…Kevon and Tricie, you two are up there too.” She told them with a grin. “If that’s okay with Commune?”

“Hell yeah,” we all said as one.

“Y’all are not about to have the three of us rumbling round in that mausoleum alone.” Sam told his mother. “You can assign the rooms…since A, it sounds like you already have, and B, we have no clue as to how many people we can even keep, let alone where the rooms are.”

“Okay, good.” Angel Mom said with a laugh. “Family gather around.” She called out loudly. It took no time at all for them to do so, they were already as close as they could get without it looking like they were trying to eavesdrop. Gabby was way more prepared than she probably should have been. We had five family members who rarely…like not since I was little…spent Christmas in Lima who had decided to come down for the holiday rather than returning to their homes. But she handed out the room assignments like she’d planned things this way all along. “So then like I said, Kevon and Patrice you guys are in the medium guest room next to MeMaw’s suite. Its immediately to the left when you come off the elevator. Devon and Tonya, you two have the larger guest room across from the elevator. Would one of you guys help my Mom get her stuff to her room.”

“Of course, Angel Mom.” Kevon was quick to agree.

“Thank you. I know you’d have done it anyway…but still I had to ask. So, Christophe…you’ve got the smallest guest room on that floor. It’s just off the main stairs. Umm…the attic has Bubbie’s suite. Daniel and Riker…you’ve got the room above Kevon and Tricie, the one behind the elevator. Bryant…you and Nadia have the larger bedroom on that floor. Melissant, you’re young and your back is strong…you’re on the pull out sofa in the rec room. Hudson, your suite is on the second floor. Ethan and Amanda you have the only guest room on that floor. It’s a medium sized room, but do not worry because you won’t have your kids. Danica said that you cannot have Avery and Adam back until it is time for y’all to head back to New York. No for real. She has turned Amara and Amaea’s room into toddler central. They are going to have a blast.”

Gabby muttered too low for me to hear her and counted off something on her fingers. When she reached six she nodded satisfied. “Alright, that’s all that’s here. Umm. Mrs. Mary Jane and Mrs. Essie…you two still planning on heading on up tomorrow?” she confirmed. Both of my great aunts nodded. I should have known that they were just here to see our reaction to the house. They would never miss Christmas with their grandbabies. Which was completely understandable. “Okay, you two are sharing the guest room at Becah and George’s tonight. Tessa was determined that you stay with her the one night you’re in town this time Mrs. Essie. Franklin, Hannah, I know you are heading out tomorrow to St. Paul to have Christmas with Mrs. Rosamarie, so you two have the pull out in Dani and Hell Bent’s family room tonight. Hawk and Hart will join their cousins in the twin’s room. Grandma Mae, you have your usual guest room.” AKA my old room. I thought to myself. “Saul and Mills…you guys are with Jake…I think that is everyone. So I guess George…shall we show the kids their home?”

“Yes, please.” Sam, Noah and I said together. I was sure that Sam was definitely wanting to get the show on the road. Nikki was small and light…when we first picked her up. But he’d been holding her for the entire time his mom had been telling the family where they would be staying. In fact, all the small children in the group were being carried by one of the family’s many strong men.

We walked up the wide, bread colored paver in a herringbone patterned walkway and up the three steps to the wide but not very deep porch. George used three different keys to unlock the beautiful double front doors. “Like the Rangemen did for us in Manhattan, the locks were changed after the decorator and their crew did their final walk through on Friday.” He said as he handed each of us a round Tiffany’s alphabet key ring containing the keys to our home. He’d used the N to unlock the door and handed Sam and I the S and M respectively. We stepped into a beautiful foyer. It was not huge…maybe eight by eight…off to the right was a beautiful curving stair case. The floor was a dark ivory marble with a beautiful scrolling stone work squared ‘medallion’ that shown in the light of the contemporary, twelve light chandelier. Directly across from the door a large piece of stained glass art of a Celtic trefoil knot was backlit in its rich mahogany frame. Under it rested a console table with gorgeous, dark brown, wrought iron scrolls between the thin set legs and a panel of it across the front. On the dark ivory stone table top, rested three object d’art bowls, two wildly differing, contemporary silver pieces bracketed a green glass bowl that somehow seemed to tie the space together. Off to the left there was a coat closet and a hallway leading further into the house.

But instead of taking us off to the left, he led us, past the stairs and into the great room. The room, with its seriously open ceilings beautiful fireplace and amazingly looking furnishings was DOMINATED by a sixteen-foot-tall, Eastern Red Cedar tree in a big ass gray stone pot. It was professionally decorated in silver, blue and purple with a million twinkling white lights. Atop the tree was a lighted crystal six pointed star, our initials were made of LED strings embedded into the cut glass. It was amazing and gorgeous. There were quite a few presents already under the tree. I looked at them weirdly. “Your mothers figure we’ll all come over and open most of the gifts here.” George said with a smile. “We all have a few under our trees too because empty trees are depressing…Danica’s words not mine…but the bulk of them are here.” I looked over the great room a little more. The furniture was beautiful, but comfortable looking. A large, light beige, tufted three seater, a tufted, teal loveseat and matching arm chairs were arranged in a conversational arch across from the fireplace. Above whose dark cherry mantle was a beautiful piece of abstract art in teals and aquas and grays and white. The art was framed in a beautiful mahogany frame just like the one around the stained glass in the foyer.

“The TVs in here and in the den, are both hidden behind motorized art work.” Daddy explained to us with a tone of voice that clearly wanted us to be as impressed with that fact as he was.

We were. “Damn, that’s so cool.” Sam breathed. Noah and I said something similar, just minus the mild curse word…after all Noah was holding Nikki and I could not curse in front of Auntie MJ and Essie.

The room’s décor played with more shades of teal and cream with pops of red and rust in the throw pillows and object d’art on the room’s shelves and the mantle. Huge banks of ivory curtains had been drawn back to reveal a wall of folding doors that led out to a beautiful terrace. The great room itself was open to a great, gourmet kitchen with a breakfast bar that sat five separated from a big, prep island with an extra-large, deep, apron front, stainless steel sink that was divided into two parts with one part significantly larger than the other. The counters were all a beautiful gray quartz with insane amounts of white and silver and darker gray veins throughout. The islands and wall cabinets were, like the floors, from renewable bamboo. Their lines were stark and modern and gorgeous. They were all stained a deep, rich, dark honey color. I loved that kitchen immediately. Then I saw the appliances. “Is that…” I fought back tears of joy. “Are those Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances?” I asked with a heart full of joy.

“Yes…all but the dishwashers, those are Mieles.” Momma told me. “So you know we’re cooking Christmas dinner over here.”

I wiped away tears of happiness. I wanted to live in that kitchen. “Un huh.” I agreed. I quickly checked out the large refrigerator, the double wall ovens, the in counter steamer, the forty-eight-inch cooktop with a down draft vent system, the built in coffee system and cup warmer and wept a little more. Looking at the drawer microwave and the beautiful dishwashers that went perfectly with other appliances. I went over to the tall floor to ceiling cabinet and opened it to find a commercial grade soft serve ice cream maker, a Wolf four slice toaster, matching blender and two, two, professional grade KitchenAid five quart stand mixers. I was so happy I could have almost cried. We checked out the breakfast nook which had a banquette that would comfortably seat nine. It was set off to the side and matched all the other wood around it. You could look out of the large windows behind the banquette to the beautiful back yard. We came back towards the front of the house and saw the food and butler pantries waiting to be stocked.

The butler pantry housed a twenty-four-inch-wide, Sub-Zero wine fridge that was at least as tall as I was…probably taller. “You will want to pick out some china.” Angel Mom told me with a smile.

“Oh…I can’t wait.” I almost moaned. I knew I was weird for a twenty-year-old. But I really did love home goods and making a house into my home. That it was a whole lot of house to personalize wasn’t dampening my nesting heart at all.

The butler’s pantry led into the dining room. Despite all the modern furnishings throughout the rest of the communal areas, the dining room was furnished in either actual antiques or amazingly well done knockoffs. They were even from my favorite ‘Louis the fifteenth’ or ‘Louis the Beloved’ time period. The mahogany table, bas d’armoire, china cabinet and chairs were all finished in what had once been crystal clear lacquer, stained only by the time period. The chairs were re-upholstered in Belgian linen, six and the two armed chairs were done in ivory with subtle damask and the other eight armless chairs were done in a beautiful gray damask. The chairs alternated around the table and it looked more beautiful than I could put into words. Above the table was a chandelier that fit the time period, a mass of silver and crystal and light that shown beautifully. The walls were covered in a silvery ivory wallpaper with contemporary sworls that blended together to mimic a more traditional damask.

Sander took the lead and showed us the first floor power room, the aforementioned elevator, the mud area, which had lockers…like for real lockers, not metal though, bamboo faced to fit the rest of wood of the floor. There was a small porch and entrance from the courtyard there. We could have used it to come in, but the front was better. Then he showed us the ‘main laundry’ which had two massive, professional washers and dryers, and a smaller Maytag high efficiency set that was much more like what I was used to. The bamboo cabinetry in that room was much lighter than those in the kitchen and pantries, almost the natural color of the wood. The counters were stainless steel as was the very wide, double utility sink. “This room will really only be used for times when the whole house is full. Which reminds me…don’t worry about trying to clean up behind everyone. You moms are going to get Merry Maids back in here to do a deep cleaning once everyone heads back to their homes after Christmas.” He assured us.

Along the tour, we’d lost several of those who were staying with us as they used the stairs or the elevator to take their stuff up to their rooms. But my Great-aunts were following us step for step. Our next steps took us back through the foyer to the side of the house that would be our ‘home’ inside the huge house. The first room we saw was the den. It was a nice sixteen by sixteen room with a fireplace and was decorated as a place to read or watch TV or just relax with each other. It had a large pretty, gray modular sectional with a big, raspberry colored storage ottoman. The gray of the really big couch was broken up with red and gray throw pillows of different sizes and fabrics. There was an iHome docking station on the mantel and the art work that covered it was a study of red and a storm of grays. Windows bracketed the gas fireplace. They were covered in room darkening red curtains with Moroccan trellis details that matched several of the pillows. On the interior walls on either side of the fireplace, were big built in ‘media cabinets’ that would hold books and games and movies and everything we’d want them to hold. The walls were silver…most of them rather plain, just textured, silvery gray wallpaper, but the fireplace wall’s paper shown vertical waves of gray, silver and beige. It was certainly lovely. Unlike all the chandeliers and pendant lights in the great room and other common areas, the den had a more normal semi-flush mount ceiling light that went really well with the table lamps on the two wooden end tables with their clean lines. The decorator must have realized that Nikki would be in this room a lot so the end tables didn’t have the glass of those in the great room.

We exited the pretty, darker honey colored, hard wood doors and went into Nikki…and Beth…the girls’ room across the hall. Her floors were the same as all the others in the house, as far as I could see. The walls were painted a very light aqua color with teal, aqua and lavender butterflies flying out of the baseboard of the wall across from the bedroom door. She had her own bathroom. The floor tiles were really light beige with veins of light gray. Those veins were brought out by the light gray color of the subway tiles on the walls. The monotony of the rectangular wall tiles was broken by almost random rows of diamond tiles in the same exact color throughout. The small three-piece bathroom had a nice glass enclosed shower tub combo, a toilet with a wooden step stool in front of it and a medium walnut furniture looking vanity. The tub, toilet and sink were all made of whiter than white porcelain. We could definitely make it more eight-year-old girl friendly, but that wouldn’t be too difficult.

From there I looked into the bedroom proper. The room was very good sized…even without the bathroom, the main part of the bedroom was the same size as the den. All the furniture was white. There were two loft/bunk beds, twin over full facing each other across the room. The accent wall held two white desks with hutches and comfy looking chairs. While the beds, dressers, nightstands, toy boxes and bookcases all had very modern lines, the desks and chairs were designed along more romantic…princessy curved lines. Those lines were mirrored in a lot of the décor. The best description of the room was modern and cleanly whimsical. The five-light chandelier with its pale pinkish-ivory drop down, bell shaped, glass shades…the white Victorian wall mirror, the bases of the butterfly and bloom bed side lamps, the whimsical love bird and butterfly desk lamps…the butterfly and ladybugs and blooms on a light sky background area rug that softened the dark honey bamboo floors…the light colored and deceptively airy blackout curtains, light ivory area rug with purple, pink and teal butterflies that covered quite a lot of the floor…other than the furniture, the room spoke of air and whimsy and light. It was perfect. Nikki was so happy with her room that we left her there with her bag of toys and electronics to play. “Nikki, the Wi-Fi password is on a piece of paper in your center desk drawer. Oh, your desk is the one with the butterfly lamp.” Becah told her helpfully.

We left her to her play, after reminding her that she couldn’t get on the bed with her shoes on, and made our way into our suite. The master suite was hot like fire. It had a stepped tray ceiling over the bedroom part. But in addition to the bedroom, the suite also gave us our own bathroom, a sitting area, and a private terrace. The bedroom area was really big, easily the same size as Nikki’s bedroom, bathroom and closet combined. The rooms walls were painted a creamy, blushish ivory. One accent wall was papered in a Moroccan Trellis paper in black, dark gray, that same creamy, blushish ivory and a darker beige in the same color family as the ivory. I loved the wall paper…it’s pattern was little like a traditional Moroccan trellis pattern on an acid trip. It was truly gorgeous. On the wall papered wall rested the big ass, dark wood, four poster bed with the cleanest lines I’d ever seen. Hell, it was positively geometric. It had rails at the top that would make it easy to hand sheers or even black out curtains around the bed like in the Gryffindor dorms. The bed was made with stark black and white linens. The bank of pillows looked comfortable and soft, but the WHITE duvet cover with the thick black border line was way too white for a bed where its occupants were very into making love to each other as often as humanly possible. 

On either side of the bed were two, almost black the wood was so dark, nightstands, again with clean and modern lines. They each had an open back shelf and then two drawers. Atop each rested a contemporary table lamp…bold black circles filled with LED fibers rested on black metal rectangular bases. The lamp came out of the circle in a thick black column. The lamp shades were simple almost white drum shades. The table lamps matched seriously tall floor lamps that illuminated the sitting area. The windows in the room were covered by white and black curtains that looked identical to the duvet cover. In the center of the room’s tray ceiling was a pretty crystal and silver chandelier that was a study of curves against all the lines of the rest of the room. That was an almost weird dichotomy that made the chandelier stand out beautifully.

On the wall across from the bed a total of four dark, almost black, dressers stood against the pale wall. They were so close to each other that they looked like one big unit. Two tall ones bracketed two shorter ones. Above the dressers was a big framed mirror. It was aimed directly at the bed. I noticed Puck’s smile and immediately realized that he was imagining us making love on the bed, watching it in the mirror. Gabby came forward, “now the mirror is also a sixty-five-inch 4K HD smart TV. You just push a button and you’ll have TV rather than the mirror. Push it back and you’re back on the mirror.”

“That’s as cool as the art covered ones.” I muttered.

We looked over to the sitting area and there was another TV over there on very contemporary TV stand in the same uber dark wood as the bed. The TV stand and TV acted as a room divider. Across from it there were three chesterfield chairs, two charcoal ones flanking a white one with a low black and white coffee table in front of them. On the floor was a deep pile, maybe faux, white fur rug, I wanted to run my toes through that thing pretty badly. In fact, I kind of wanted to move that coffee table and roll naked on the rug with Sam and Noah. To the left, there were folding doors that exited out onto our private terrace. We stepped out there and it was already fully furnished as well. Like our private balcony in Chicago, there was a bar cart with a cooler out there. The seating was a pretty corner sectional, which was up against a big window that was shaded and almost mirrored from out there, and the other side was against the five-foot-tall, rectangular cut, evergreen shrubs that blocked our terrace from the back yard. Which was awesome because I was sure that Noah or Sam would want to christen it just as much as we had the balcony in Chicago. We quickly went back in…it was cold out there…besides we needed to see the bathroom still.

It turned out, the bathroom was worth the wait. I walked in and it was beauteous. The floor was still the same dark honey bamboo…but the cabinetry was a lighter honey stained bamboo. The walls were tiled in a gray stone subway tile with pretty veins of darker beigish grey throughout. Like Nikki’s bathroom the normal subway tile lines were broken with random rows of diamonds of the same tile. It worked great for me. But where the wall tiles went all the way up all the walls in her bathroom, for the most part they only went up to about my neck level and then the tiles were capped with a tile molding that matched the wall tiles. Above the tiles the walls were painted the same color as the darker, beigish grey, but it was definitely a slightly shiny paint job. Across from the door into the bathroom, was a wall of pure, crystal clear glass through which I could see a great shower setup. The shower was tiled floor to ceiling in the stone subway tiles, including a bench against the back wall. The two rain showerheads were wide chrome squares that hung from the ceiling, there were also twelve square body jets in the wall two tile walls and a detachable wand shower head. The door to the shower was next to Sam and Noah’s counter top with their two white, rectangular, ceramic, counter top sinks and the shiny chrome faucets.

The bamboo cabinets were all topped with a sea pearl quartzite from Brazil. It was a stunning white and ivory stone with subtle tones of gray and light green. It looked beautiful in the room even against the darker wall tile. Across from the double sink section was my area, along the interior wall. The cabinetry, countertop, sink and faucet were all the same, but there was a tall, floor to ceiling cabinet, and a vanity section on my side that wasn’t there on the guys. Under the vanity section was a pretty little vanity bench that looked really comfortable. Looking beyond the sinks and shower there was a big ass window that looked out onto our private terrace. From inside the bathroom the window seemed very barely tinted. That was really wicked cool. Under the window, on a tiled platform, sat big, beautiful, white porcelain, rectangular, contemporary bath tub with a sexy, shiny chrome faucet. 

But that wasn’t all there was to the bathroom, I walked back the way I came and explored the rest of the bathroom. I noticed a set of stairs, but decided to go down those once I’d seen the rest of the bathroom. There was a water closet, tiled in the same manner as the rest of the bathroom, which contained a toilet and a bidet. Across from the water closet was a linen closet. Beyond that was the big ass walk in closet…they already had a great closet organization system in place and I couldn’t wait to unpack my shoes. The guys had been waiting on me to go and see what was down the stairs. We stepped off the bottom stair into a tricked out home gym. There were workout machines that had both Sam and Puck drooling. I found the spin bike, treadclimber, and the balance and yoga balls interesting. But I didn’t really geek out over any of it, let alone roman chairs or power towers. The exercise room had its own bathroom with a small linen closet, large shower and double sink setup. I loved the fact that it was done up the exact same as the master bath. On the other end, under the bath tub and terrace, was a laundry room that had two built in cabinets, a top of the line LG washer and dryer pair, utility sink and cabinet, a hamper and a rolling, double garment rack. This was the laundry room that I’d use for our part of the house. It was neat and well designed. I liked it a lot.

However, as we’d been walking through I’d realized that shopping was a damn must. I started mentally making lists. I loved the house. It was perfect. The decorator had gotten me off to a freaking awesome start, but I’d have so much fun getting things ready for this to be our real home. The condo in Chicago would be where we played. New York and LA would be where we worked…but Lima would be our home.

Sam PoV

The rest of the walk through went pretty quickly. We saw the wine cellar, which was really just a nice sized, completely wooden room that was waiting on wine. Then we saw the bar area, the game room and the rec room. We saw the power room, and geeked out over the sixteen-person home theatre. We walked through the storage and mechanical area then we saw the home studio…Oh my f’ing G…we had a home studio. We could record an album in our house!!! There were even instruments in there like waiting on us. And not crappy ones. But the more we walked around the more we realized that there was a hell of a lot of work to get done before too long. Like the bathrooms looked great, but they were missing important things like toilet paper and actually usable, non-decorative towels…and wash clothes. The kitchen didn’t have food, or plates or pots or anything that made it functional.

Puck and I looked over at each other in dawning horror. There was no way we weren’t going to get sucked into shopping. We needed to have some time the next day well away from Mercy. With that thought in mind, I decided to come up with a plan of action. By the time we’d been shown our home office and library on the second floor, I knew what I needed to do. “I’ve got it. Mercy, let’s see the rest of the house tomorrow. Now let’s make a Target run and get stuff so the bathrooms functional and people can get baths. For tonight we can get paper plates and stuff and order Chinese food. Then we can do a bunch of online shopping and just fork out the extra to have stuff here by Christmas eve. Tomorrow, we can go back to that that huge shopping plaza we went to last time we were home and get everything else. We can put together a grocery list and get Tessa and Jake to do the grocery shopping while we get the other stuff.” And while we’re at the Easton Town Center, I was sure that Puck and I would be able to break away from our beautiful woman long enough to make sure that her Christmas gift either was ready or would be…and that it would be delivered as scheduled.

“Damn, Sam, that’s perfect.” Mercy gave me a huge hug. “I’ll get Dev and Kev to go with us too. Help with the heavy lifting.” With so many people, it actually didn’t take much time at all to unload all the cars and such. We took Nikki with us rather than getting someone to stay home with her, so that she could go potty if needed.

Target, late Sunday night was actually surprisingly empty considering how close we were to Christmas. So it only took us a couple of hours to get soap, towels and wash clothes for eighteen, paper towels, toilet paper to cover sixteen bathrooms, laundry stuff, big things of paper plates and utensils and huge packs of water…like so many that I started to think we should have hit Sam’s Club or Costco instead. We also got some day to day dishes, cereal and milk and just some hold us until we could get things better stocked stuff. We’d gotten home, how weird was it that I already thought of it as home, at around four, seen about half of the house and unloaded our stuff, then got to Target around seven and made it home with all that stuff, and Chinese for dinner by ten…we’d not done too bad. Mercedes, Tonya and Patrice were awesome. They figured out how to work the industrial laundry machines and by the time we all finished dinner, we were able to give a very sleepy little girl her bath and get her into her ‘Pretty Pegasus’ pajamas and between the sheets of her new bed. We made sure that her tablet and cell were charging and noticed that she’d unpacked her picture frame of Ms. Shirling and set it up on her nightstand. I was pretty sure that she was sleep before we left the room. We left the door open and went back out to the great room where everyone was congregated with their electronics, sitting around reading and talking and socializing under the lights of the tree.

“So, Have Mercy, what do you need us to do?” Daniel asked once we got settled with our laptops and started looking at lists.

Mercy looked at our family for a while then she smiled big enough to confuse the moon into setting thinking that the sun had risen. “Thank you guys so much. I guess the first thing to do is figure out what we need, then we can see what we can order online and actually get in time…versus what we’ll need to go and buy in person to be able to have it in time.”

So we hashed out all the things…including more towels and such, regular pots and special occasion pots, things like Dutch ovens and crock pots, dishes and glasses and silverware and serving ware and baking tools and pans and such…and all of that was just the kitchen. Mercy wanted to get area rugs for a few places and different ones for a few more. She needed to get day to day needs like soap, dish soap and dishwasher detergent. “You’ll want nice bathmats for the bathrooms. The hardwood floors are gorgeous…protecting them is a necessity. Plus, for little Nikki and Beth’s bathroom, you’ll want to have the bathmats for safety.” Me Maw advised, so we added those to the list too.

Hudson chimed in that we should stock both the main laundry room and our private one. “But since you got a little bit of that stuff at Target tonight, we can order that from Amazon as usual. It can be here as soon as tomorrow.”

“Let’s do all the soaps, paper products, cleaning supplies and such that way too.” Puck chimed in. “Make sure that we get what we like, what we’re used to.”

It took us a couple more hours, but by the time everyone was ready to pack it in for the night, Mercedes, Noah and I had picked out three fine china patterns and they were ordered from the Mikasa website along with crystal stemware and a set of bone china from Lenox there may have been more crystal stemware from there too, I wasn’t sure. Serve ware and serving platters and bowls and such were all ordered both low end, regular Sunday dinner sets and ritzy holiday sets. Wayfair probably loved us even if their shipping department hated us. Mercedes was hella happy.

So happy that we christened the shower, with some ultra-steamy, pressing her titties on the glass, hour long, shower sex. Hell, I was shocked that we didn’t run out of hot water. But I was feeling so good being buried balls deep in Mercy while Noah was tonguing my ass…I was pretty sure if the water had gone stone cold…we might not have noticed. Despite the late night, we were still up pretty early the next morning. Mercy was excited to head out to go shopping. Noah was all amped up to get to Columbus to check on her big Christmas gift…to be honest so was I. but I was also very excited to try out the Bowflex PR1000 down in the home gym. Of course, given the fact that we’d not worked out beyond sex for over a week, as soon as we’d checked on Nikki and gotten her set with some cereal and orange juice at the breakfast bar, I dragged Mercy and Puck with me to try out our new equipment.

We did a circuit of four machines, fifteen minutes on each. Mainly it was to learn which ones we each liked and would therefore use most often. There was a TV in the exercise room so we put it on one of the channels that played music like a radio. After a short warm up, I started with the dream machine, the Bowflex. Mercy did her first run at the Treadclimber. Noah started out on the power tower. Nikki got bored with her tablet and came down and she and Daniel’s little sister, Melissant figured out how to get in from the rec room… the door in was kind of hidden. Nikki played on the recumbent bike and Mellie did some time on the regular treadmill while Mercy tried out the glute and ham machine. Her ass looked amazing while she was working on it, but I could tell that that would probably be the only time she did that machine…ever. I watched her from the power tower and Noah was looking over at her from the medicine ball. The third round saw Mercy on the weird ‘bean’ thing that was supposed to work on abs. I’d hoped that she would have ignored that one. Neither Puck nor I wanted her to have abs. We had abs, we loved making love to her and feeling her soft little belly under us. I grumbled to myself as I used the Roman chair to do hyper extended sit-ups. Puck was running on the treadmill like he was trying to figure out exactly how far he could run if he maintained a fast lope for fifteen minutes.

Our last cycle saw Mercy doing fifteen minutes of aerobic spin, while Puck took on the PR1000 and I worked my ass and legs on the glute and ham machine. Nikki and Mellie had ditched us to go shower and get dressed upstairs. They got along great considering that Mellie was twice Nikki’s age. I kind of thought that she just liked having someone who looked up to her like she did her big brother. We finished up our workout and you knew that it was a good work out because we were all drenched as hell when we finished it. I grabbed a quick shower in the bathroom off the gym while Mercy and Puck took to the tub and shower in our master bath to get clean. I took care getting dressed. There was no way in hell I was going to a car dealership looking like somebody’s poor relation. So I put on a pair of nice black Dockers and a deep green Henley with my black all weather boots. Puck must have thought the same thing, because he was neatly and nicely dressed too. Our Baby, was looking very beautiful in a purple cashmere sweater dress, black tights and walking boots. Mellie had helped Bubbie get our Lil Darlin’ dressed in a really cute teal version of her MeDe’s outfit too, without even knowing it. Turned out everyone was kind of waiting on us. Bubbie and MeMaw were going to stay close to home, to be there when the next day guaranteed deliveries arrived. They were also going to handle getting a list together for Jake and Tessa to get groceries. Bubbie was going to go with the two of them so she could stock the wine cellar and bar.

We all packed into the three SUVs that were in the garage bays and the last one that was in the snowy courtyard. The fourth was holding the Bros & Brides’ U-Haul. Noah was behind the wheel of the Tahoe. He usually drove in the snow. Me and Mercy had to give credit where it was due, he was damn good at driving in the snow…better even than Mercy who was awesome at it. And damn sure better than me. Tennessee got snow, but not like Ohio. The drive to Columbus was pretty quick. During it Mercy got up with the girls of the crew and invited them to come see the house…and help us unpack all the stuff we were buying that day and that should hopefully have been delivered by the time we got home. Santana assured us that she’d probably move in before we got back. Mercedes laughed as she shared that one with the rest of us. Then she texted Santana back that we were sorry but there was no room at the inn.

“So Hudson, we didn’t get a chance to check out the bedrooms upstairs, is your room okay?” Mercy asked our PA.

“It’s really lovely.” Hudson rushed to tell us. “There is a built in desk between two bookshelves…almost like it was designed just for me by someone who knew how much I love to read.” She breathed. “The furniture is all a cherry tone, so it all looks incredible with the dark honey of the floors. The bed is a queen sized one, so it’s nice and roomy…but not too too big. The nightstands are actually bookshelves too. The lamps are beautiful Tiffany glass ones that I can just touch and they come on. I’d like…I mean if it’s okay…I’d like to look for a rug for the floor.”

I smiled at her hesitancy. “Hud, as far as we are concerned that is your room. Like your room yours. You can do whatever you want to it. If you’d told us last night, we’d have ordered whatever you wanted…but something tells me this is something you want to do for you, so go ahead.”

“Yeah…I mean; you’ve officially been adopted into the big ass Puckerman/Altman-Jones-Evans clan. You’ll be coming home with us for all future holidays. Even if you lost your mind and decided to go and find another job…come Thanksgiving and Christmas, you’d better have your ass up those stairs and in that room, Miss Missy.” Puck told her honestly.

Hudson smiled a trembling but tremendous smile. “In that case…do you think this place has a book store?”

Turned out they did. They had a Barnes and Noble. They also had a Crate and Barrel, William Sonoma and a Sur La Table. On top of those desperately needed stores, they had Macy’s, Nordstrom’s and more clothing stores than one could shake a stick at. Then there were the places like the Apple Store, Build-A-Bear and the American Girl Store. We lost track of time and realized that we’d been there for a few hours and hadn’t gone where we needed to go. Just as we were freaking out, Mercy gave us the perfect excuse to slip away and get her gift checked on. “You guys take Hudson and disappear for at least an hour. I want to do something special for her to make sure she fully knows she’s family.” 

We took her words to heart. As soon as we arrived at the Mercedes dealership, Hudson asked to be shown to Jason Dwyer, the new car sales manager and the man who had been personally handling our long distance transaction. The tall, red haired man shook our hands and we immediately got to work. “Now, I’ve got to admit that this is first time I’ve had a custom job called in like this. Thank you for choosing Mercedes Benz of Easton for your wife’s Christmas gift.”

Noah was in full Puck mode. “Please tell me it’s here.” He asked quickly.

Mr. Dwyer nodded reassuringly. “Yes. We have your twenty-fifteen E300-4Matic sedan, in the custom blend of Lunar Blue and Cardinal Red with just enough Diamond Silver Metallic to bring it to Ms. Jones favorite shade of purple with a nice silver sheen. Eighteen inch twin five spoke wheels…we went with the Sport Wheel exterior package, since you preferred the Mercedes grill rather than the plain grill and the Mercedes hood ornament. The car has the black/titanium grey pearl exclusive Nappa leather interior and natural grain black ash wood trim which comes with all three premium packages. She will have heated and ventilated front seats, comfort suspension with selective damping system, luxury styling, and topstitched dash trim. She will have a Parking Pilot, rearview camera, blind spot assist, rear cross-traffic alert, rapid heating feature for front seats. One of our newest features is the keyless-go…which is a push button start system. I’m sure she will enjoy the electronic trunk closer, hands-free access, Burmester surround sound system, Sirius XM radio with 6-month all access trial.”

I interrupted. “Hudson, please make sure that you get that set up for auto renewal for her.”

“Of course, Sam…a Diva cannot get her radio all set then have it expire.” Hudson said with a smile.

Jason Dwyer wasn’t a fool he quickly agreed. “No that just wouldn’t do.” He joked. He returned to the brochure to continue showing us everything the car came equipped with. “The car has NFC wireless charging, LED intelligent light system headlamps, adaptive high-beam assist, active multi-contour front seats with massage, air balance cabin-air purification system, air balance cabin fragrance system…I believe you selected the Downtown Mood for Ms. Jones’ system.”

I nodded. “Yes. Hudson got her to smell all four options…she liked that one the best.”

“Very good. The last of the interior features is the power rear-window sunshade. The active safety features that are included in her car are the distance pilot Distronic and steering assist, head-up display, evasive steering assist, active lane keeping assist, active lane change assist, active blind spot assist, active brake assist with cross-traffic function, congestion emergency braking, speed limit pilot…don’t worry…that’s just an interactive version of the old fashion cruise control.” He explained when Puck gave him a strange look. “She’ll have a surround view system, pre-safe impulse side, pre-safe plus, and active emergency stop assist. Her new car will keep her safe as houses.”

I noticed he hadn’t mentioned one feature I’d been sure we selected. “We did get the Warmth and comfort package with the heated steering wheel, right?”

Mr. Dwyer checked the paper work. “Yes, her car has it and the acoustic comfort system, and the rear safety package. Now the only thing I need to ask is would you like one of the maintenance packages?”

Puck nodded. “Yeah, give us the forty-thousand miles’ package. I doubt she will keep it for four years, but Sarah will be sixteen in a couple of years, we can give her this one and get Cede something newer then.”

“Okay.” Mr. Dwyer said with a smile. “I hope that you will consider us here at Mercedes Benz of Easton then too.”

I smiled. “You said that it was here, can we check it out and then we’ll complete the transaction and arrange for delivery. Sorry if we seem a little abrupt, but if we want to keep this a secret, we’ll need to hurry.”

“Of course.” He said and got up to lead us to a small display area off to the side of the main floor. He stood back and watched as we looked the car over.

The color was perfect, a nice dark purple…just a shade or two away from the color I’ve come to think of as KAMA purple, with a super-shiny top coat and a hell of a wax job on top of that. The wheels were bright and shiny chrome. It was a four-door sedan since there were three of us…four when we had Nikki. But Noah and I had checked with Binkie and there was no problem with him taking us in a Rangeman vehicle to school during the week. We’d made it something of a tradition to take our Lil Darlin to school before we went to our own classes since she had returned to school in November. We went over the physically apparent to our naked eye choices and they were all present and accounted for. we tried the keyless start and it came right to life. So we turned her off, locked her up and headed back to Mr. Dwyer’s office.

“Was everything to your liking?”

Noah and I were well prepared. “It was perfect. Now…we need it to be there when we wake up on Thursday morning, so it would be best if you deliver it later Wednesday evening.” I told him honestly. “Any earlier than that and she will find it before we’re ready.” I gave him the address of our house for delivery as well as the business cell phone that Hudson always had on her person. “Please have the driver text us when they get there so we can open the gate to the courtyard.”

He made notes on the paperwork. “So what is the final damage, Jason.” Puck asked him noticing the time.

Jason Dwyer looked like Christmas had come a few days early for him. “Well, after tax, title, delivery cost, registration and dealer prep fee, plus the in house custom paint job…your total is ninety-four thousand, twenty-four dollars and forty-three cents.”

I nodded. We were ready for that. “Oh…wait…how much is it for one of those big ass red Christmas bows like in the commercials?” I asked as I pulled out the cashier’s check we’d gotten before we left Manhattan.

“Is that a cashier’s check?” Mr. Dwyer asked quietly.

“Yes from our account with Barclays.” I may have smirked. More than a little bit even. “It’s for ninety-six thousand…just in case Noah had gotten the math wrong…which, I admit would have meant the earth was coming to an end. But better safe than sorry.”

“We…” he cleared his throat. “We’ll call that even and I will personally make sure that the car has a pretty silver bow on it Christmas morning…big enough to be seen from space. I know you said red, but the silver will look better with the car’s paint job.”

The paperwork was quickly drawn up and we left with a copy of it and a receipt stating that the car was paid for in full as well as the date of delivery and other things we’d agreed on. We swung through L.L. Bean and got a few things…some new thermal tees for Nikki and a couple of bags of the socks Mercedes liked to walk around in when winter made the floors cold. Then we headed on to McCormicks to meet up with everyone else for lunch. The rest of the crew had taken care of every one of the things on the lists, we were able to head home after we left the seafood restaurant. Mercedes and Nikki showed me the Stich they had built for Hudson and the key rings just like ours…one with a R for Bubbie, one with an N for Nikolette that was engraved on the other side with a butterfly to distinguish it from her father’s Tiffany’s N keychain and the final one was the most important in that moment…the one with the H for Hudson.

The drive back to Lima was pretty quick considering that it was about an hour and a half long. Nikki had been very excited since while they were at Build-a-Bear, no one had bothered Mercedes for autographs…poor Lil Darlin had been sharing us all day…and she had made a Christmas gift for Beth all by herself. The ride was filled with laughter and joy. Nikki showed us the pretty silver open heart bracelet she had gotten her god mother…Santana had not let any of us rest until that shit was officially official. We had given Lil Darlin a list of all the family members she should make sure to get or make something for and a budget of five thousand dollars to get them all their gifts. My parents had done something similar for me, Stevie and Stacey as kids…but our budget had been a hell of a lot smaller. It was her first time celebrating Christmas so she was really, really excited.

When we got home, we found that the family had congregated at our house and between them and our friends who’d showed up…all the Amazon, Wayfair, Mikasa and Lenox boxes were unpacked, the dishes washed and put away. They helped us unload the SUVs, wash new sheets, bedding, towels and throws. Mercy and Kurt fought over the proper way to organize linen cabinets. Tina and Quinn had an absolute blast putting the BEST china into the antique hutch in the dining room. We washed pots and cooking utensils and baking tools and basically everything that would be needed to cook Christmas dinner. As we worked we talked and got caught up on what had been going on in everyone’s lives during the first semester of our sophomore year. Well, most of us did…Santana sat on one of the armchairs with Nikki and Beth while she taunted the rest of us who were working to get things together. She did help unload the groceries when Tessa, Jake and Bubbie got there but for the most part, she played with her goddaughter and laughed at the rest of us. She was Santana.

“Oh yeah…everyone…since we’ve gotta be back in New York on Saturday, we’re moving the get back together we had last year to Boxing Day…same place and same time.” Danica said while we were putting the regular food up. Mom, Dad and Hell Bent hadn’t gotten there with the special stuff for the holiday cooking yet.

Everyone grabbed their phones to text their parents. Only to find that the parents all already knew. Since Mercy and the women would have so much cooking to do on Tuesday and Wednesday to get everything done for Christmas, Dad, George and I whipped up brinner-breakfast for dinner- for everybody. There was room for sixteen at the dinner table, four at the breakfast bar and nine to ten in the nook. That was fine for that night, but for Christmas dinner we needed to seat at least sixteen more. I said as much to Mercedes and she looked thoughtful. “If we push the sofas against the terrace doors, roll up the area rug, we could fit two or three eight persons round tables out there. That would give us twenty-four more seats. Forty-three…forty-four…that should cover everyone.”

“Okay…tomorrow while you and the moms are starting to cook, me and Sam will go and get those tables. We can buy them and keep them down in the storage room have them in case we need them in the future.” Puck suggested.

Mercy got a thoughtful look on her face. “Table cloths and real napkins. Momma always has those on her holiday tables.”

I nodded. So did my mom and Me Maw. Like Moms D, they had holiday ones, Sunday ones and ones just for regular special occasions like birthdays. “Why don’t we look online tonight and order them one-day rush.”

“Perfect.” She smiled happily. She liked to tease Moms D for being ‘Monica from Friends’ but Mercy was just as bad.

After dinner, we said the blessings and lit the menorah. Puck had brought it with us from Harlem. We exchanged our small Hanukkah gifts, mainly cards giving money in each other’s names. Nikki was the only one who got actual gifts. There was a set of seven small gifts for Beth, as well as her Christmas gifts under the tree waiting until we saw her on Boxing Day. The rest of the night was a mirror of the night before. We got Nikki ready for bed. We chilled out talking and chatting with the family. We decided if there was anything that we needed to get while we were ordering the table linens. The answer turned out to be yes. The house had no vases or candle holders or anything that would work as center pieces. Something Mercedes swore up and down we couldn’t do without.

That night after everyone had gone to bed, and we’d locked down the house and set the alarm system, we made love to each other in our new bed. It was deliciously large and didn’t make a single squeak no matter how hard we thrust and bounced. Something about being in our primary, forever, home, was making all three of us extraordinarily needy. Being together in that big, soft as a cloud but still sturdy and strong bed only made it more of an incessant need. But there was reverence in that need as well. Oud lovemaking that night began as it always did with loving, passionate kisses…long, slow, deep, drugging kisses that allowed us to touch and taste and tease each other. We were celebrating our third Christmas in our relationship and yet the taste of Mercedes’ sweet kisses or the feel of Noah’s tongue sliding back and forth along mine still made me harden demonstrably every single time. We’d long ago found a pattern that worked for us whenever we were sharing kisses.

Mercy and I or Mercy and Noah kissed first. It really didn’t matter who went first, we never stopped kissing until we’d all shared our love or passion or joy…whatever emotion the kissing was began to share. We just each had our two different styles and both of them meshed perfectly with how Mercy kissed. The kiss would end until we needed oxygen with desperation. The next kiss happened between me and Puck. Those Kisses tended to be more aggressive. He loved to pull my hair and try to get the upper hand…to dominate me. Usually, I’d take the control and run with it. Again our kisses ended only when our lungs protested the lack of air or Mercy’s moans from watching us kiss drew our attention from each other. The final kiss in the Commune making out to perfection playbook saw Mercy kissing whichever of us wasn’t fast enough to get the first kiss. Now unlike during the first kiss, when whichever of us wasn’t kissing our woman simply watched in rapt attention, during the final round of kisses, the single non-kisser would drop their lips to Mercy’s ears or her neck or one of her special spots behind her ear or where her neck and shoulder met…teasing her body to even greater heights of arousal.

Most of the time, the next thing that would happen would be we’d have Mercy between us as we both licked, nibbled, and kissed our way down her neck over her collar bones and to her hard, long, plump little nipples. Licking and sucking Mercy’s breasts was always the true barometer for how our lovemaking would go in that instance. When she wanted slow, sweet loving, we’d stay as we started off, simply using our lips and tongues. But when she urged us for stronger, harder, when she asked for teeth and little bullets of pain…then we knew she wanted it hard and fast and dirty.

That night, Mercy had mewed and prettily begged us for sweet little hurts. Puck and I were more than happy to deliver. We sucked harder, biting rather than nipping and allowing our large hands to squeeze and massage the mounds those sensitive nipples capped. When Noah turned to the nightstand to grab a condom, Mercy shocked us both. She wriggled her way out of my embrace only to push me onto my back. sexily she straddled my hips, trapping my hard dick between us. Allowing her hot, wet pussy to leak that sweet juice of hers all over my shaft as she kissed me. I moaned out loud when she broke the kiss and pulled my hair forcing me to bare my neck for her teasing and licking and nipping mouth. Then-oh God- Noah got behind her and grabbed her hips, tilting them just enough for him to work his way into her from behind. There was no way I could explain to anyone who had not experienced it for themselves, how fucking awesome it felt to be in that bottom of that particular position.

As Noah fucked our beautiful wife, her wide spread thighs gripped my hips and her sexy little pussy slipped, slid and grinded along the swollen length of my cock. With a little bit of work, I was able to get them to lean up just enough that I could get my mouth around one of the hard, little nipples that had been boring into my chest. With the stimulation to her breast joining that of her inner walls being filled and stretched by Noah’s cock and her clit being stroked by mine, Mercy’s voice flowed over us. That seriously dangerous and fucking epically awesome keening scream of abundant pleasure made its way into our ears and down our spines to massage our balls. I came so long and so hard my vision grayed out. Noah and my own vocal exultations of our orgasms joined hers.

When we could finally move, Mercy and I were joined at our cum soaked bellies and Noah, she and I were all very much soaked from our joining pretty much to our knees. “You two are gonna be the death of me.” I muttered.

“You…I think I’m so dehydrated, I’m on the way to being mummified.” Puck rebutted.

“We’ll need to get a mini-fridge in here to stock with water, orange juice and Gatorade…when we’re here for longer.” I said thoughtfully.

Mercy leaned up and kissed my cheek. “I’m glad you’re so smart…but right now…I don’t have the energy it takes for my brain to work that hard. Let’s get cleaned up before we get glued together.”

She was right. The shower used up the rest of our reserves. We barely had the energy to throw on some pajamas, in case Nikki needed us during the night, before we were out like three candles in a wind storm. We had accomplished a lot in just a couple of days. I was feeling pretty proud. But I couldn’t wait until Christmas morning. Even though the very thought of spending as much as we did at one time on one thing was scary as hell…The look on Mercedes face was definitely going to make it all worth it. Yeah…I couldn’t wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Dreck. Help a fic author get over the YUCKS...drop me a comment. 
> 
> TTFN,   
> Anni


	4. I'll Be Home for Christmas (Part B)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to comment!
> 
> Your encouragement helps more than you know!****
> 
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories
> 
> JJBelle that is the sweetest, most tragic, most AWWWiest fact I’ve ever heard/read before in my life. Thanks.
> 
> Special thanks to Isis Aurora Tomoe who is my current Beta rock star 
> 
> Summary: Winter Break for the College Sophomores of the Learning French Series.  
> A time to reconnect with family and friends.

I’ll Be Home for Christmas

Puck PoV

Hosting a family holiday was every bit as crazy and fucked up as Hollywood made it seem on TV and in the movies. There were a lot details involved in that shit. We did luck out on our family and friends though they were all cool with helping us with getting all that shit done. We lucked out in a couple of other ways too. The first of which turned out to be the whole extra table situation. There had always been two party rental places in Lima…the one Moms D used and the other one. Well, after an inescapable teeth cleaning and whitening session with the Doctors Jones, DDS and OS for us and Nikki… Moms D and Hell Bent take their responsibility to our teeth for sure serious. So Tuesday morning, they had the four of us in their office, taking care of business. When they were done with us, Cede took Nikki back to the house to get back to cooking while Sam and I went out in search of tables, the first place we stopped was Lowes. All they had were those plastic tables that broke way too easily. When we asked about more durable tables, the sales guy hipped us to the party rental place. He told us that the rental place was having an ‘everything must go, going out of business’ sale. We went over and they really were selling everything. We got six of the round tables, two long rectangular ones, the rolling rack thing that used to store and move those bitches, a hell of a lot of table clothes in a bunch of colors all for what we’d thought we would pay for three or four tables.

Granted, one look at the table clothes, and we knew exactly why Moms D never used that place and probably why it was going out of business. We bought them because they were too cheap to resist. But we knew that we would have to take them and see if even Patrick’s laundry magic could save them. If not…no biggie, we paid two fifty each…literally two dollars and fifty cents for the same things we’d paid almost forty bucks a pop for online the night before. If Patrick could get them clean we’d send them back to Moms D and they would be available for future get togethers. When we got everything we needed from there, Mom had some more stuff we needed to get from the grocery store. Sam and me got our asses mobbed in Whole Foods. What should have been a quick stop had us there for almost an hour signing shit for people…way too many of whom I recognized.

One ones I was easily able to recognize was one of Sarah’s classmates and she wanted me to sign her boob. “Tiffany Amber Morris, I’m going to tell your mother.” I blurted before I could stop myself. “You are fourteen, you shouldn’t be out here trying to show nobody your chest…and I know you’re only fourteen because I took Sarah to your ninth birthday party on my bike right before I got my driver’s license. Here.” I signed a piece of receipt paper the cashiers had been nice enough to provide for those who couldn’t come up with anything else. “Now carry your fast tail home. I’m gonna tell Sarah you said hello and pretend like you didn’t just do that.”

Of course, with my luck, somebody had their phone on recording it. They posted that shit on Youtube. It had like two hundred and fifty thousand views before me and Sam even made it home. I’d have thought I’d have lost any possible street cred, but apparently people loved how into fatherhood I’d gotten. When we got home, the whole family had already seen it. The moms, from Angel Mom on up to Me Maw Rose and Grandma Mae found it hilarious. The dads though…the dads understood. They were with me on that one. Soon as we walked into the house, all four of the bros took the tables and shit off our hands. It took them two trips in the elevator, but they were cool with it so, so were we. Then Dev and Kev managed to talk me, Sam and Jake into going with them to get their gifts for Tonya and Patrice. Apparently with getting their shit together and defending dissertations and everything…they hadn’t managed to go anywhere without their wives so they could surprise them with their Christmas gifts.

“What about jewelry?” Jake asked. “I mean, Trice loves the bling…and she’s about to start a new job. Probably she would love to walk in her first day showing all those people that she is the new HBIC…in an understated and classy way, of course. A sparkly pair of diamond earrings should definitely, but subtly, say brand new, future boss.”

“Yeah, but we’re trying to save. I’m not supposed to spend more than two fifty to three hundred. She already has a nice pair of studs. She really wants a diamond tennis bracelet…but I can’t get her some cheap bit of nothing. You know good and well I don’t roll like that.” Kevon grumbled.

I shook my head. “Look we got you. You spend what you’re allowed to spend…then we’ll pay for the rest. You can hit us back later when she stops paying attention.” I offered.

He looked like he wasn’t going to accept. So Sam chimed in. “Dude…either we do it like that or me and Puck go in there show them your picture and give them a couple of grand to be used for whatever you want to buy. You know right now all that’s in there are college kids, they will dick us all over if we do that.”

Kev nodded. “Man, they would pocket that in a heartbeat.” We all laughed. “Alright…but only if I can’t find anything else.” He finally agreed. One would think it would be easier to help a brother out than he made it.

I threw Dev a look. “You gonna be hard headed too?” I snarked.

Dev just put me in a head lock and gave me a noogie. I think it hurt him more than it did me. “You got some nerve calling anybody hard headed.” He said after he stopped way quicker than he ever did when he first started giving me the damn things. “And damn, negro…grow some hair…your stubble just cut my hand up.”

“Your sister likes it like this.” I argued pulling away. As we passed Victoria Secret’s, I had a thought. “Yo Jakie…this place still have a Fredericks?”

“Yeah, I think so.” He returned. “I haven’t heard that anything closed here…and Reggie would know. She loves this place. She’s probably somewhere up in this piece as we speak.”

“Sweet. You guys go ahead and start looking at tennis bracelets. Me and Sam…we’re gonna go get ourselves a little something from Fredericks.” I grinned lecherously.

Dev and Kev exchanged disgusted looks. They really hated thinking about us dicking down our woman. I got it. I’d had issues with Harding for the same thing when he was with Tessa. “Didn’t think they had anything in your sizes, bro.” Jake taunted. “Go…I’ll keep the elders from thinking about the two of you debauching Cede…I can give you ten, maybe fifteen minutes.”

“Cool. Here’s my card if Kev finds something awesome and we aren’t back. You’re an authorized user on that account, so just sign your name.”

“Why I ain’t got a card then?” Jake huffed.

I rolled my eyes. “You’ll get it…when you get your first college acceptance letter and not a second before.” I said bossily. “Fuck all if I’m putting a ten grand credit limit in your hand without you having done something major to earn that shit. Tessa don’t have hers yet either.”

We made good use of that fifteen minutes, and maybe an extra five. They had eight teddies in her size …fifteen if you counted the color variations. We got our Sexy Mama every single one. We got her a couple of really hot baby doll nighties and a longer, fifties movie nightgown and robe set. As we were walking back towards Kay’s with our goodies in hand we noticed that there were a whole lot of rent-a-cops and shit outside the store. They tried to tell us they couldn’t go in, but when I looked in the window and saw one of them muthafuckas had their hands on my brother…I may have punched the dick head that tried to stop me and went the fuck on in.

“Sir. Sir…we have a situation here. The store is on lock down. You cannot just come in.” The security guard that had Jake pressed against the display case shouted. His ‘partner’ had Kev and Dev backed up across the store holding them at gun point. I was pissed as fuck.

Before I could say a word. Officer Brannigan and a police chick came in. “What is the problem?” Brannigan asked after waving at me and Sam in recognition. “What did Puckerman do this time?”

“This zebra here and the two niggers over there tried to run a credit card scam, Officer.” The bastard said.

“Brannigan, if you don’t get that racist muthafucker off my brothers, I’m ‘bout to fuck that punk bitch up like I did his friend outside.” I said honest as hell.

Sam wasn’t even playing either. He had his phone out and he was recording for real. “Officer Brannigan…nice to see you again. Please do all of us a favor and arrest Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum before Benton and Ethan get down here.” 

“You can let the kid up.” Officer Brannigan said trying to diffuse the situation. “And Rodgers, put that gun away. Those two are my dentists’ kids. They aren’t criminals. Hell, you’ve got more of a record than either one of them. And I’m going to report you both for the use of pejorative language…you two idiots wonder why you can’t get on the force.”

“Look, Officer Brannigan? You can’t just come in here and release our perps. They were caught in the commission of a crime.” Dickhead number two spoke for the first time.

Police chick spoke up. “What crime?”

“They were trying to make a large purchase with a credit card that doesn’t belong to them.” Asshole number one doubled down.

“And how do you know it isn’t theirs?” she asked easily.

“The name on the card is Noah Puckerman.” The dumbass sales clerk said poking his head out from the back. “I’ve seen all KAMA’s videos, none of those black guys are Noah Puckerman.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and that guy on the counter…the one who had the card is his brother. Did you not notice that other than the color of his skin…the two of them look just a damn like?”

“In point of fact, not only is he my brother…he is a signatory on that account. He has every right to use that fucking card. Didn’t even check that shit out, did you? Now bring your cowardly ass out from back there so I can put my foot up your ass too.” I shouted.

In the next few, tense as hell minutes, three things happened that made the situation unescapably bad…for those three. In walked the store manager, Benton Jones and Ethan Harris. “Get that muthafuckin’ gun out my muthafuckin’ sons’ faces and let my boy off that counter or I will break both y’all muthafuckin’ asses in muthafuckin’ half.” Benton roared. I swear. I was on his side and I damn near pissed myself.

Ethan wasn’t any less angry. But rather than being loud in his anger, he got scary angry. He quickly assessed the situation. “Jake, you okay?”

“Arm’s getting messed up Mr. Ethan. If I can’t play next fall Coach is gonna destroy whatever Benton leaves over.” Jake admitted.

Brannigan had enough. “Rodgers, put it away. Look at you know that you know you fucked up, your hand is shaking. Put it away…because if you accidentally pull that trigger, I’m going to let Dr. Jones beat your ass for a while before I pull him off of you.” When dildostain number two still didn’t put his gun away, Brannigan gave him a final chance. “Now, your partner is walking out of here in cuffs…right now you aren’t…but that will change if you don’t put your side arm away.” 

Both rent-a-cops finally stepped back. As soon as that asshole released Jake, me and Sam were over to him, checking him over in a split second. True to his word, Brannigan started to Mirandize the security guard that had been hurting Jake. “What are you arresting me for?” he tried to brazen it out.

“Aggravated assault…Puckerman…the younger one…are you under eighteen?”

“Yes sir.” He stated cautiously.

“Oh good, that almost doubles the possible sentence. Hey Blakely…since he used the N-word…think we can get him under the Ohio hate crimes statute?”

“I say we give it a try. Anything we can do to the clerk who started all of this with his basically false report?” she threw out giving the punk bitch a side eye. Despite the fact that she looked more like Que than Cede or Tana, she gave damn near their level of side eye.

Brannigan shook his head. “No…technically he can just claim he didn’t know it was false. Though all he had to do was ask the kid for his ID and none of this would have happened.”

The store manager apparently agreed. “He no longer has a job here. And he will not work for another Kay Jewelers in this state…country if I can manage it. We here at Kay do not agree with racial profiling of this manner. As you said…all he had to do was his job and none of this would have happened. Please accept my sincerest apologies for this. I can only authorize twenty-five percent off your purchase…but I will definitely do so.” He said all the right things, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he didn’t mean a single word he had just said.

I shook my head. “Naw. Thanks but no thanks…because at the end of the day, you hired someone like that. We’ll take our business down to the Macy’s jewelry department.”

“Gentlemen, can you guys come to the station after you finish over there and give your statements?” Officer Blakely asked us.

“Yes Ma’am. We’ll be there in a little while.” Sam said quietly as we gathered our bags and grabbed the credit card the manager had taken from the punk bitch clerk and given back to us. As we left the store, he turned to the rest of us. “Every woman in that house is gonna open a box with something shiny in it Christmas morning. On our way out of this mall…we’re going to stop by and show that manager what his clerk and those dumbasses cost him. I’ve already got the video to Darcy. I want this bitch closed down and the mall to fire that whole security company. Nobody messes with our family and thinks they can just get away with it.”

He stormed off to the department store looking hot as fuck. I just cosigned it and joined him. By the time we left, even I thought that our revenge shopping may have been excessive. Patrice’s tennis bracelet morphed from a simple half carat tennis bracelet of diamonds in silver to a three carat diamond bracelet in white gold. And she ended up with diamond round cluster pendant necklace just because Sammy Boy was pissed. It went on like that for a hot minute. We dropped so much we had break out the fucking black card. Shit, Jake even got his girl something and he hadn’t planned on getting her more than he’d already had wrapped under his tree. I let him use the same card I’d handed him earlier. The chick checked something on the computer, asked for his ID…boom he was golden. Just like he should have been at Kay’s. When we were done…true to his word, Sam walked back into Kay’s and slapped the long ass receipt on the counter. “This is what your clerk just cost this store…just this one. But don’t worry, we already put the word out online. Something makes me think the whole damn chain will suffer for the fact that you hired a prick and the mall uses a security company full of bigots. Remember that.”

It took us an hour and half at the police station. By the time we got home I was pissed again. Mainly because I was hungry, but also because the police chick -not Blakely, some new broad that had joined them to take our statements- she kept asking us why we didn’t all just stay together…like that shit made any difference. Finally, I looked her dead in her face and said, “because we didn’t have to. This is the United States of Muthafucking America…Sam and I shouldn’t have to stay with our brothers to act as their shield against bigotry and prejudice. Fuck that noise. Women shouldn’t have to step out their houses looking like nuns to avoid being raped and black men shouldn’t have to have an approved white person with them to avoid bullshit like what happened today.” I looked over at Brannigan, “We done?” 

“Yes. We’re done…thank you guys for coming in and giving your statements. Hearing how everything went down, the Captain is probably going to have us bring in Rodgers and charge him with a couple of things too. We’re going to make sure these charges stick. We want to prove to the world that you weren’t lying when you said the Lima PD was full of good cops.” He said and saw us out…after getting an autograph ‘for his sister’.

Thankfully, the ladies had saved us all some dinner and even Bubbie hadn’t minded holding the menorah lighting for us given the circumstances. That night Dev, Kev and Jake were checked over by every single one of our family members. Mercedes was weeping and cussing as she looked them over. Someone had managed to talk her down from her immediate reaction. She’d been ready to fight. Her hair was pulled back and wrapped into a bun. Her face was glistening in what had to be Vaseline. She didn’t have on a single piece of jewelry, not even her engagement ring, and she was wearing shoes. I quickly learned that she and Saul had wanted to go down to the mall and beat the ass of the security guard that didn’t hadn’t immediately been arrested. Nikki, after she checked me over, she spent the whole rest of the evening checking over Jake, Dev and Kev…but most especially her Uncle Jake. Nikki had them sitting on the big couch where she could keep her eye on them.

I sat down next to them. “Jake…I’m…shit, I’m sorry kid. You too, Dev…Kev.”

They all gave me quelling looks. “Stop with that bullshit, Noah. None of what went down today was your fault. You look at the three of us and see your brothers. That cashier just looked at us and just saw three brothers. You cannot and shouldn’t take the blame for that.”

“Yeah, you’ll note there was no trouble at Macys…it went down just like it was supposed to.” Jake cosigned.

Devon looked real serious. “You cannot internalize their garbage. Have you ever seen color, and I don’t mean that pretentious way they talk about when they are trying to prove they aren’t racist? I know that you see that people have different color skin, but do you let it affect how you treat them? I doubt it. I’ve never seen you behave like that. You may not have ever had elevated sensibilities…but when you looked at females, you didn’t see them as less or more because of the color of their skin…you saw a broad you wanted to sex or you didn’t. You see guys you’re cool with or guy you aren’t. So don’t apologize for bigotry that isn’t yours. Just don’t ever stop standing up and calling others out on that bullshit.”

While we were talking, word had gotten around the crew and everyone was checking in on them. Shit, Chase drove all the way over. I didn’t even know she knew where our house was. But she held Jake down…and she told Coach Sylvester. Turned out the punk bitch store clerk was a former Cheerio. Sue Sylvester was not happy. He was blackballed before he woke up the next morning. There was no way he was getting another job in Lima. Turned out that we had another connection in the whole messed up situation. Don Motta owned the security firm through one of his many umbrella-slash-shadow corporations. Before we even made it to bed, he had fired both the security guards, the supervisor that hired and trained them and instituted a new policy that any bigotry or racial profiling was grounds for immediately dismissal. Mr. Motta was pretty awesome about the whole thing. Since we knew that he wasn’t racist we stopped calling for the mall to end their contract with that security company. Some people online felt some kind of way about that. Until we pointed out that Sugar’s dad had moved swiftly and decisively to show that he did not condone nor agree with the actions those security guards had taken nor the underlying causes for those actions.

Mercedes made love to me and Sam like we’d been the ones in danger or something. I had to keep it one hundred though, when she was undulating between me and Sam screaming out the pleasure we were giving her to the heavens, I finally felt peace return to my soul. We went and took a shower and since I’d busted off in Cede’s ass bareback and Sam had repaid the favor…so we tried out the bidet. That was some wild shit. We held our woman between us, offering her comfort and reminding here that here beloved brothers were all safe and sound and that we were as well. The next morning, Cede put it on us again before she grabbed a shower and threw on some active wear. She was in charge in the Kitchen and she was at home in her new home. When me and Sam finally got up, it was definitely a sight to behold. 

Christmas Eve was a flurry of wrapping shit and doing whatever we were told to do. It wasn’t until like the next day that I realized that if Mercedes or one of the moms needed something done in the basement, they sent Devon or Kev or Ethan. But they still found more than enough work for us. Plus, we had to sneak around and wrap all the last minute gifts we’d bought since we got to Ohio, like the five carat diamond and white gold hoop earrings that we’d gotten Sexy Mama as part of Sam’s revenge shopping the day before. All the Fredericks stuff went into a big ass gift bag and we hid that bitch in our room. No way were we letting Cede open that around her dad, brothers…or uncles. They liked us and we wanted to keep it that way. Christmas Eve was also the last night of Hanukkah so we had the Jones traditional Japanese dinner then we said the blessings and lit the menorah. The timing was perfect for everyone to get some pajamas. So that was what we gave them all. Patrick had washed them before we wrapped them, so they were ready for immediate use.

Mercedes had gone shopping for the Christmas Eve pajamas with Kurt, and together they’d really gone more than a little cray-cray on the pj thing. Once everyone was showered, Cede and Nikki were decked out in matching blush pink silk pajamas. Me and Sam were in matching, Ward Cleaver looking sets. But Tonya and Devon’s took the ‘I’m surprised they willingly wore those’ cake. His looked like a Next Generation uniform, and her’s was a night shirt made to look like the old sixties’ show women’s uniform. It was great. Thankfully during our shopping on Monday, Cede had picked up some pjs for Bryant, Nadia, Daniel, Riker and Melliscent too. We were all set. Of course, once we put Nikki to bed, we stripped the mommy-jamas off Mercedes and made our BabyGirl give us a fashion show of the new stuff from Fredericks. That led to shower sex…then we got back on our parental pajamas and went to bed.

The guy from the Mercedes dealership came through for real. They delivered the car at like ten thirty. And, yes, it had the big ass bow on the roof. Dude guy was even right about the silver. It looked perfect. Hudson and Bubbie handled the delivery and even moved the Tahoe into the courtyard and put the sedan into its bay. They were totally awesome. I was glad that Sam’s revenge shopping had ended up with a pair of halo cluster one carat diamond stud earrings for Bubbie and a cute pair of blue and green diamond flower earrings for Hudson. It made me feel good that they would know we appreciated all they did for us.

Christmas morning came very early when there were children in your house. Thankfully, all the children seemed to understand that we’d open gifts only when everyone was together…and yeah I was including Sam, Tonya and Patrice in the children. Everybody got up and handled their morning ablutions. By the time the rest of the family got there, someone had gotten coffee and hot chocolate together for all, like ninety of us. Moms D and Benton had to drive both their cars, so did Angel Mom and Sander to get all the kids back here. EJ and Avery had been loving being with Double A&S but you could tell that they were happy to see Ethan and Amanda on Christmas morning. All the kids were still in their pajamas, just bundled up against the winter cold. We all pitched in getting them all divested of their coats, hats, scarves and gloves. Jake, Saul and Mills got there just as we finished hanging all the coats up. We had to give them a hand…there were a shit ton of trikes and bikes being hidden at Jake’s place. That was super smart of the parents.

The moms had brought the gifts they had kept under their trees too so that we could all open everything together. With so many people, it was soon decided that we’d divide the gifts into individual piles and then everyone would open one…and we’d do it until we were satisfied with the numbers of pictures taken and got to work opening things for real. The grandmothers and Uncle Bryant were tapped to play Santa, while we grown kids were their legs. It actually didn’t take very long. Only the little kids had massive piles in front of them…but no one had a small pile at all. Even Hudson cleaned up. Sloane was the first to get to shred some paper. The first thing he opened was a rolling Spiderman backpack that Jake had gotten for him. Mara ripped into the Leapfrog Epic that we’d gotten for her. Then Maea tore open a packet of like seven Disney books that Bubbie had wrapped all together. You’d have thought they each opened the bestest gift in the history of gift giving…I loved watching sweet little kids get gifts.

Nikki went next. She was the first of the kids who were able to really get in to her gifts all by herself. Well, Beth would have been to, but she was spending Christmas with her Mom, Papi, Mommy, Aunt Frannie and Papi’s family. We had put all her gifts to the side to open when she was with us the next day. The first thing Nikki opened was actually the last thing that had gone under the tree. Inside the small box, she found a pretty little white gold snowflake necklace with diamond accents. Stacey was the next one up. She’d told me that she was really excited because that would be the first Christmas that she would get big girl gifts. And the very first one she opened was a Surface Pro3 that Bubbie, Saul and Mills gave her. She squealed like…well like a kid on Christmas. It was awesome. Of course, when Stevie realized that his box from Bubbie, Saul and Mills looked just like hers, he opened his Pro3 too. Sarah…she went a different route. She found the little box that said it was from Santa…like Nikki’s had…the only box in Sarah’s whole stash that had that particular name on it. Inside she found a pair of two row J-hoop earrings that were small enough that she’d even be able to wear them to school with her Cheerio uniform that when she hit high school. Melliscent got to open a box next. That smart little cookie opened the box from her father next. Inside was a set of car keys. She was the proud new owner of a 2015 Volkswagen Golf. She freaked the hell out. I think by the time she finished her celebrating, she’d kissed every person in the room.

Mercedes shook her head. “Rookie mistake…never start with the parent gift…or the spouse if married…they are always the biggest.” She teased her cousin. “How are you going to top that now, Mellie?”

Mellie didn’t care at all. Tessa tried to listen Cede’s advice…but the choice she made was just as bad. She grabbed the pretty card from Mercedes. She had to know if Mercedes wasn’t giving her something that was wrapped. It must be something that she couldn’t wrap. “Mercedes Antoinette Jones-Evans-Puckerman…tell me that I am crazy and you didn’t just give me a two,” she stuttered. “A two thousand dollar gift certificate to the Louboutin Boutique.”

“Oh, yeah…I did.” Cede said nonchalantly. “I’ll take you when you come to the city for Spring Break.”

If there were tears in Tessa’s eyes…no one could blame her. Jake went the safe route. He opened the gift that was long and rectangular and read from me to him. He opened it to find a black Fender CD60CE Cutaway Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar. He was more than happy with it. The guitar he had learned on was a Sprawl-Mart special. The one I gave him that Christmas was a real rock star guitar. Fuck all if seeing the look on his face and the way he was petting it when he thought no one was looking wasn’t worth the time and money of ordering the black special. Our guy at Sam Ash had been cool about rushing the order though for us. There were two more boxes just like that under the tree…one for Sarah from me and one for Stevie from Sam. Different colors…Sarah’s was red and Stevie’s looked a little bit country. Sammy-Boy was up next. He opened the gift he’d gotten from Moms D and Hell Bent. They hooked him up. He’d gotten a Taotaole multimedia mini portable projector and a copy of all Cede’s pictures from birth to college in a cool brown leather album and uploaded to a digital desk frame. Our woman looked embarrassed as hell when we were thumbing through it. But I was hoping I got the same thing. And I did too…well not the portable projector, they gave me a black Harley-Davidson men’s FXRG mid-weight leather jacket which went with the black leather of my Baby Cede Album.

Cede had gone with a sure fire hit. She’d opened the gift from her Grandma Mae and found a gorgeous Tiffany’s Floral Vine rose bowl. “I know just where to put this.” She smiled happily as she thanked her grandmother. I knew exactly where she wanted it. She was going to put it on the dresser in our brand new master bedroom. She said that it looked too bare, even with the TV above it.

Kevon and Patrice opened their gifts from Nikki, back to back. Our little girl had done good. I don’t know if she had just gotten to know them so well at Thanksgiving, or if she was skyping with the family even more than we realized, but she got Kevon two-four game ticket bundles for the Atlanta Braves and she got Tricie a Free People Vegan Leather Motorcycle Jacket…not that Tricie rode motorcycles…but the jackets were very much on trend. Hudson was the next up. She opened her first gift, it was from Mom and George…but it was easy to tell that Mom had picked it out. Hudson lit up when she pulled out a white and pink Gucci ‘Gerabloom’ jacquard square silk scarf. It was so cute. Mercedes had told me and Sam that this would be the first family Christmas Hudson had had since she was really, really young. So it was great to see her basking in it. Devon opened his gift from Hudson to find a family membership for Fernbank Museum of Natural History. I think he and Kevon were in a competition for who could cheer their gifts loudest. Tonya’s gift from Jake, Tessa, Sarah, Stevie, and Stacey was a combo gift from all of them to both her and Devon. They got the couple a fifteen hundred buck gift card for William Sonoma.

The adults were just as happy with their gifts was the kids had been. Sander and Gabby got some cool stuff. Sander got one too, but his favorite thing was the gift from Nikki and the twelve to eighteen year olds who had banded together to get the dads tickets to all four days and the preview night of Comic Con in San Diego…they would have to handle their own flight and hotel arrangements…but they had tickets to Comic Con. Sander was over the moon. Sam may have lost his dad to the young side of the force…but the mink jacket he’d gotten for Angel Mom was definitely the favorite thing she opened. Saul and Mills got tech and stuff that we knew they would love and find useful…or stuff for their house. Everyone gave Mom and George gifts that were really useful considering that she had completed her applications for the three med schools in decent distance from home. Mom’s favorite gift had to be the year of Merry Maids service Saul and Mills gave her. The Bros and Brides, me, Cede and Sam all just wussed out on getting George something tangible…instead he ended up with an entire boat load of Lowe’s gift cards. I did add in a really cool tool bag for him. Benton and Moms D loved the original framed Aaron Douglas illustration from James Weldon Johnson's God's Trombones that we’d found for them. It was worth a mint. But the look on Moms D face told me that we’d managed to beat the youngin’s who were sending the moms to Eaglewood Spa while the dads were at Comic Con. Well, for one night…the moms would have to fork out for the rest of the weekend…but it was all the kids could afford.

Bubbie got a metric shit ton of crystal and jewelry plus a day at Elizabeth Arden and a real crocodile handbag. But the piece de resistance for her…was the fact that the whole family was flying back to New York when she, Saul and Mills went back because Benton and Moms D had arranged a family photo shoot with some big league Manhattan family portrait taker. Me Maw had a thing for Dooney and Burke and Coach purses…she racked up on those bad boys…plus a Prada and a Gucci. Grandma Mae…she was a rare woman. She didn’t want stuff. She wanted the chance to shop for herself. So everyone…everyone got her gift cards. She got a lot of them for Macys and Target…both of which she lived near. But she also got them for places like Amazon and a few other online places. The only real gift gift she got was the pair of Le Vian Chocolatier Diamond X-earrings she got from Santa. She loved them.

It took a while for me to start getting antsy. I was really enjoying watching everyone open their gifts. I made it through like three or four rounds…but there were a lot of us and finally, I couldn’t wait anymore. “Alright…is it Cede’s turn again?” I asked damn near bouncing in my seat. Sam had just lost his mind over the first edition Walking Dead 1A CGC 9.9 and Captain America Comics #1 CGC 7.5 comic books we’d gotten for him. He was SERIOUSLY in love with us after opening those bad boys. I couldn’t lie…I was sitting there petting the Fender Telecaster Guitar autographed by Bruce Springsteen that Sam had gotten for me.

“You first.” Cede said grabbing my hand and pulling me up off the floor. “Come on.” She said excitedly. She dragged me to the stairs and down into the basement. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized that other than taking the private stairs into the exercise room, I hadn’t been down there since the house tour. I’d noted the air hockey table and the awesome wooden card table and the Pac-Man arcade game…but something new was sitting in the game area.

“I love you Cede…and I want you to know that I love that…Wow. Mario Kart GP DX Arcade Upright Racing Game Machine over there. So much so that tonight, I’m going to send Mellisant up to sleep in Beth’s bed so I can bend you over it and thank you properly. Oh my damn…I love it. But I cannot wait for you to see what me and Sam got you.” I told her honestly.

“So, the fabulous diamond hoop earrings weren’t it?” She teased. We had, technically, agreed to only get each other one gift that crossed the thousand dollar threshold. We’d been very good about that until extenuating circumstances reared their ugly head.

“Those were from Santa, Mercy.” Sam said as he joined me in dragging Mercedes back up the stairs, down the hallway that ran parallel along the house to the door to the first garage bay. Sam and I stopped before we opened the door. “Close your eyes, Darlin’.” He whispered.

We led her down the two little steps into the garage and around Devon’s SUV. “Open them up, BabyGirl.” I whispered against her ear. Her shiver made me almost as horny as I was happy.

“Holy shitake on a big ass cracker.” She muttered as she saw her car for the first time. Hudson slipped me the keys and I put them in Mercedes hot little hands. “Is that for me?”

“Oh yeah, Darlin’, she is all yours.” Sam agreed.

Mercedes’ scream of happiness was way shriller than her usual screams of pleasure…which was probably a good thing. She hopped up and actually got high enough without help to wrap her thick thighs around my waist. I was shocked as hell. Then I was horny as hell when she laid one on me so deep and sweet and long that I almost forgot there were children present. I was too far gone to give a damn about the adults. Before I could get any closer to trouble, she hopped down to lay one just as hot on Sam’s mouth. EJ found that to be pretty gross and let everybody know it. Good thing he did, or Cede may not have stopped. When she finished turning Sam into one big walking raging hard on…to match me…our wife hopped down and ran over to her new car and oohed and awed over the seats and the wheels and the pretty color and basically everything. She only got a few minutes to kvell…because as EJ and Nikki were quick to point out, there were still more presents inside.

By the time we got through all the gifts, it was like ten, and we’d started barely a little after seven. It was great though. Everyone loved their gifts. Devon, Kevon, Tonya and Tricie were promising us things like their firstborns and their organs if we ever needed them. When they opened the packet of papers that gave each couple the ownership of neighboring twelve hundred and sixty four square foot townhomes near shopping and Tonya’s job. Tricie full on cried and I think even Devon sprung an eye leak. Suffice it to say they liked their gifts even if they were combo and couple gifts. We felt like heroes. The guys took clean up duty while the non-cooking females, like Nadia and Mills, handled organizing the gifts for transport and watched over the kids as they played.

Other than the Bros and Brides, Nadia had been the only one who could argue that their gift topped Mercedes’ Mercedes. At least according to a conversation I overheard the grandmoms having. Bryant had proposed to Nadia with a three carat IdealMark diamond solitaire, platinum ring. She’d said yes. So no one was surprised when they disappeared after the living room was cleaned up and the kids were playing in the den. Once everything was either in one of the ovens or reheating in the warming drawer or something, Melliscent and Sarah were tasked with setting the dining room table. Stevie and Stacey got put to work setting the banquette in the nook while the manly men cleared the great room floor, put up the tables and covered them with the brand new, but freshly laundered table clothes for the four table setters to tackle, we were all sent to the showers.

Oh yeah, that shower was fucking epic. Sexy Mama was giving zero fucks about her weave. She had me and Sam sit on the bench and then she proceeded to wreck us first with her beautiful fucking mouth and pretty little hands and big gorgeous tits; then again when she bounced the most perfect cunt in the world up and down on our cocks…bare back, before she went for the coup de grace and let us take turns hammering her ass until we were totally wrung out and I was pretty sure that I had seen God. We could have used a nap for serious after the loving she laid on us. Heck, even though it was her thank you to us…she’d enjoyed it every bit as much as we had. We managed to get clean, moisturize Cede, and us as she wasn’t one for dry skin on her lovers, and help our woman get to her vanity so she could do something with the wet, waist length fall of her hair. The me and Sam headed into our walk in closet to get dressed. looking around, the three sides of the closet had seemed to naturally be assigned, Sam and I each had one of the shorter sides, while Mercedes clothes filled the longer. Her shoes and other accessories were perfectly at home in their spots. I grabbed a pair of dark olive slacks and a cream colored sweater and took them into the bedroom. In seconds I had cream colored boxers on and got dressed, as if I’d been getting dressed in that particular room for years not days.

I looked over at Sam who was just as quick, efficient and confident in his movements. “This room already feels like home doesn’t it?”

He nodded. “Whole, big ass house does really.” He admitted. “Umm…have you noticed anything funny about the water though?”

“You mean how the hot water never runs out?” I shot back.

Mercedes comes in looking irresistible in a pretty ‘peasant’ dress that had blue as the predominant color I could pick out among the multitude in the pattern and a pair of brown wedges. Her hair had been French braided back, which almost threw me for a loop, she very rarely wore her hair back, but I guess it was easier than drying it. “I saw two big ass water heaters in the storage room…plus another on the second floor in the furnace room up there. Maybe that is why. Or maybe magic is actually real and it’s like Hogwarts. George’s plumber is a wizard etched runes in the hot water pipes so we never run out.”

“I don’t know…” I said honestly, chiming back in before Sam could come up with an even more outlandish theory. “I’d maybe think that if we were the only ones showering when we started that might be it…but. Aw fuck it. Remind me to ask George.” I said giving up on the puzzle. “You just put it on me and I’m starving.”

Cede laughed. “Yes, and there is the fact that people were supposed to start getting here oh, about forty-five minutes ago.”

So, of course, when we entered the rec room, where everyone was gathered because the great room had just become extra dining room, everyone was already there. Yup…Tonya’s parents, Tricie’s family, Sugar, her dad and Sue and little Jeanie, Coach Bieste and her boyfriend Marc…all our people…thankfully, they didn’t tease us too much. Everyone got in one good dig then they let the subject rest. And best of all it was time to eat. We got the kids settled in the breakfast nook, before we all took seats pretty much wherever we wanted. Sam and I ended up at the heads of the dining room table with Mercedes half way between us on the side across from the buffet there was laughter and food and George told us all about why the hot water never seemed to run out. Devon and Kevon were telling their in-laws all about their new homes in Atlanta. The food was freaking amazing. My Babygirl did her thing. She even had Nikki in the kitchen with her a few times showing her how to do some simple things. I saw Moms D, watching them at one point with tears of pride in her eyes. It was a beautiful sight. All our friends were laughing and talking and having a great time. It was a truly amazing holiday, one of the best I’d ever had. 

After everyone had had dessert, helped put away the left overs, helped start the dishes and wash the table linens…we were finally able to turn the great room back into a great room. We played board games then sent everyone on their way when the kids started drooping. After Nikki had her bath, we read her a chapter of one of her new books. I wasn’t sure she was old enough for Hunger Games, and kids’ books were getting way too damn dark. I mean, hadn’t people changed Grimm’s fairy tales because they were scary? What about a dystopic society that makes their kids into blood sport seemed like a good idea for a line of kids’ books? Once we got her all tucked in we showered and got our happy asses into bed ourselves.

While we were watching TV, a thought came to me that I hadn’t let myself dwell on earlier. I’d noticed that Mercedes kept looking at her new earrings and fiddling with the key to her new car and smiling in a weird way all day. “Did we not get you good gifts?” I asked hating that I sounded insecure.

Sam sat up in alarm from where he was reclining on the other side of the bed. Cede was quick to soothe both of us. “No, I love them both…but I feel like you guys did so much for me and all I got you were a comic book and a video game.”

“Dude…a damn near mint condition, first edition Captain America number one…is not just a comic book. That is the most awesome comic book anyone has ever owned.” Sam disagreed.

I couldn’t help but smile. “And you got me my favorite video game…I love Mario Kart…and I can play it like an arcade for free. I love it.”

“Yeah, but I couldn’t think of anything else to get you and I was already feeling like a failure as a wife since Sam’s gift cost more than yours. Then you two go and get me gifts that cost more than double what I spent total on both of you.” She sighed. “I love my gifts…I’m just feeling like I failed to show you each how much I love you. Even more than that, I know that I have to …” Cede struggled to find the right words for her next thought, only to give up and say, “you know what…never mind. I just want to do right by you.”

“That’s pretty much how I felt when you two got my ass a fucking Harley.” I told her honestly. “I love my Harley…but that was in no way equitable to the whole lot of nothing I got you two for your birthday.”

“Umm, Noah…we barely remembered our birthday this year.” Sam pointed out. None of us needed reminding why our thoughts had been otherwise occupied that weekend.

“I owed you both one…that’s why your Christmas gifts were so boss.” I replied.

Mercedes got so quiet I thought she’d fallen asleep. Then suddenly she blurted out. “I don’t care. I feel schlubby…tomorrow, I’m buying Sam a new pickup truck and Noah…you’re getting a tricked out Dodge Charger. That should show and prove.”

“Who do you feel the need to show and prove to?” Sam asked quietly. “We know how much you love us.”

“I really do love you more than words could ever express.” She whispered drowsily. Our soft, sweet smelling wonderful woman snuggled down between us and was out before either of us could reply.

Sam and I kissed each other good night over her and followed her into dreamland. I could honestly say that there was nothing but peace in my soul.

 

Ethan PoV

Spending Christmas in Lima was a pretty great tradition that I hadn’t engaged in in way too long. It was different than before because of Benz and her princes putting a lot of us up in their big ass, brand new house and Dani kidnapping our kids. me and Amanda were able to make love every night without us having to get up and put on pajamas or anything afterwards to protect little eyes that might make their way into our room. It was better than any other gift we got that holiday and considering that ‘Santa’ had gotten her a five carat blue and white topaz with Le Vian chocolate diamonds set in white gold Necklace in addition to the four stone platinum bangle bracelet with all of our birthstones, expandable just in case, that I’d gotten her from Jared’s before we left the city. My beautiful wife did me right too. She gave me a top of the line Lenovo laptop and a platinum Rolex…a real one. One I’d been needing for a while, the other I’d been dreaming of owning for a very long time. The days before the holiday had been rather full themselves. I’d met with Antwan and we’d gone over our progress in stopping Fox News from harassing Benzie and her husbands. We’d also had a chance to meet with Finn Hudson, Lauren Zizes and their parents.

“Thank you for taking the time to meet with us today.” I started. “Right, I’ll just cut to the chase, I received the paperwork with the court date for your civil trial. I’ve already put in the paperwork to push the February date you were originally given back to May. I’m trying for the week after your exams.” I told them honestly. “I’ve also put for a motion for the current judge assigned to the case to recuse himself from hearing it. I found out that he was a golfing buddy of the defendant’s father and donated heavily to both of his County Commissioner candidacies. Judge Ryan should have pulled himself off the case as soon as it hit his docket, that he didn’t is cause for him to end up before the judicial review committee.”

“So he did it on purpose; set the date in the middle of the semester?” Carole asked astutely.

I nodded but it was Antwan that gave them a verbal answer. “Probably. It could have been an effective power play. Set the time so that no matter what, Finn and Lauren will have a distraction. The thoughts in the back of their minds wondering if they are missing something important in their classes. The wonder of how missing a week or more of classes will affect their GPAs.” He reasoned.

“Is there anything we need to worry about?” Burt asked reasonably. “What do we need to do to make this go smoothly?”

“Yes.” Ben cosigned. “We want that bastard to pay through the nose. Prison is bad… but for a guy like that, paying tons of money to his victim would be even worse.” The man certainly spoke the truth.

I laid it all out for them. “I know that your new shop will have only been open for a few months, but if you can both be there with them as much as possible. It will show the jury how treasured they are to you.” I told Burt. He and Laura would actually have the hardest time being away from their jobs, but I knew that they would make it work. We went quickly over what was appropriate apparel. As they were both older and in the spotlight this go around, what they would need to wear and how they would need to comport themselves would be different than what they had worn to support Benz at the trial of that would be rapist…a trial I didn’t even find out about until after the fact. They had certainly heard my opinion on that bullshit. I Shook off those thoughts and turned my attention back to the meeting I’d had with the Hudson and Zizes families. We talked about having as many of the young couple’s friends, classmates and professors ready to testify as to what they meant to them. I’d spoken with both Coaches and they were very much ready to take the stand and tell about how the accident had affected Lauren and Finn’s prospective sports careers. Antwan gave them a few other pointers as well. then we all exchanged holiday well wishes and I could return to just enjoying the time with my family.

When we flew back to New York on the twenty-seventh, we were carrying two extra suitcases of toys and gifts Adam and Avery had received. Getting all that home was a whole lot of not fun. Amanda and I had gotten a lot of gifts ourselves, but we managed to get them all into our regular luggage, without having to buy any more extras. It was very nice to be back in our own beds and having our children back under the same roof, even if we did have to go back to sleeping in pajamas. KAMA and their band were in the studio immediately upon returning to the city. They worked first on a song they had written for a Johnny Depp movie that was in the works. It was actually a demo, the first time they had really had to do a demo. All three of them considered a learning experience. They were under contract to do a song for the soundtrack, but had gotten little direction on what was wanted. The whole family went to Temple with Ruth and Saul Saturday night and then got up and went to the Methodist Church that the threesome and two of their tenants attended. Monday, after getting the paperwork to make sure that Devon and Kevon’s houses belonged to them and their brides officially submitted, via fax and then also overnighted to the proper authorities in Fulton County; it was right back into the studio for the musicians. They were spending eight sessions working with a new Canadian producer named Kaytranada before returning to working with the same guys who had done the production on their first album.

They took of Tuesday to do a family portrait with their daughters, mothers, fathers, siblings, Bubbie, Saul and Mills. The interesting thing was that they were all wearing shades of blue. Bani and Dent had even arranged things so that they were able to have individual family portraits done as well. So the Joneses, the Altman-Puckermans, and yes that included Jake as well, the Evanses; then Benz, Seuss and Flood with their girls and the teachers and Flood’s baby girl. As I heard it, the fun didn’t stop there. All the couples got pictures. Then all the kids got pictures with their cousins and siblings, then just each group of siblings…and so on and do forth. When I talked to Bani, she told me that she was really happy that the package included all those extra shots, even if they were all wiped out and tired as hell at how long the session had lasted. Given how expensive the sitting fee and package had been, the length of the sitting had made her feel like they had really gotten their money’s worth.

Late Tuesday evening, all of their friends joined them. I imagine that that brownstone was shaking on its foundations and full to the brim. Wednesday was New Year’s Eve. For Benzie and her crew, the day was spent in various relaxation endeavors. Benz, Seuss and Floor, the old New Directions, their significant others, her brothers and their brides all spent the day together at Benz’s favorite spa. While the youngun’s were partying the night away at Provocateur, the rest of us came together and had a nice dinner at Saul and Mills house followed by a night filled with music and laughter and silliness. They had a couple of new board games plus a million classics so we all crouched around the game of our choice, except Monopoly…apparently there was a moratorium on that game around Saul, Ruth or Puck. That was smart. We didn’t let Bani play if Bryant was there. It just led to fighting. Life was easier if we just kept that one on the shelf at certain times. We soon realized that Nikki was going to be every bit as much of a card shop as her Bubbie and Great Uncle Saul. She made Life her bitch and ruled Candyland like it was her own kingdom. That

By the time the family all returned to living their lives the following day, I was ready to see the back of them. It was time to get things back to what passed for normal. I loved my family but I was tired. I couldn’t imagine how Commune had felt with hosting everyone in Lima then again in New York. God bless them every one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this universe. I hope that you're loving it to.
> 
> So basically what I'm saying is Feed Me Readers...Feed me all night long. (Yeah, I went to Little Shop of Horrors on you, LOL. I'm desperate)
> 
> Breaking News:
> 
> Rest In Peace Gene Wilder. I hope that you Gilda and Richard are making the afterlife ring with laughter.
> 
> TTFN,
> 
> Anni


	5. Its Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Devon & Kevon's Take on Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories
> 
> Special thanks to Isis Aurora Tomoe who is my current Beta rock star
> 
> Credit to Illy's Hubby Mr. Synnerster. He pointed out that the TMZ set would go in on Mercedes if she didn't give as good as she got...by their opinion, not Sam's and Puck's.

Devon PoV  
The final semester of my formal education was…well…it was the best of times and it was the worst of times. Defending my dissertation was…unpleasant. No, it was as hard as anything I have ever done scholastically or otherwise. First, there was the whack-a-mole of trying to get everything scheduled. Then there were all the meetings with my advisor. And boy were there a lot of them. But I’d really lucked out. Doctor Gertrude Robinson was a black woman of a certain age who thoroughly enjoyed her job. She’d loved my dissertation topic from the get go since it was a subject that was near and dear to her heart. At least the rumors on campus would have me believe it was near and dear to her heart. Supposedly Dr. Robinson was the sister-in-law of First Lady Michelle Obama. But I’d never seen any proof of that and if being MeDe’s brother had taught me anything since they got famous…never believe rumors about famous people.

Once I was completely done with the paper, the committee for defense had been selected, the defense had been scheduled and I had perfected the changes Dr. Robinson felt would make it pass the committee…I was dying trying to wait for the date of the defense. That last semester, I wasn’t working, I wasn’t interning…I was totally in Complete Dissertation Mode. And so was Tonya. We each spent hours creating the perfect defense presentations. We meticulously critiqued each other’s overall session. We tried to consider what questions our two, vastly different, committees might ask; to prepare ourselves for any eventuality. Our apartment was a powder keg just waiting for a match. Thankfully, all those internet trolls gave us plenty of external targets at whom to aim our ire. One would think since we’d already successfully defended our master’s theses, we’d be less concerned…but nope. Tonya’s defense came first. She spent the entire day before it working her nervousness out by making my brains cum out my dick, well, after she sent out a nice, pleasant reminder to the review committee about the date and time. For real, as much as I loved making love with my woman, I was almost sick of sex by the time she was finally done with me.

But it was exactly what she needed. My beautiful bride woke early the morning of her defense to make a seven o’clock appointment with the woman who’d been caring for Tonya’s long locs since we’d started college. She got home at ten with her hair done up into a really complicated, but hot and professional at the same time updo. Tricie had dragged her for a mani-pedi and facial two days before, so she knew she was going to look completely put together when she got dressed. As soon as she got in, Tonya hit the shower, taking a nice long, relaxing one before asking my help in shea buttering her entire beautiful body. My wife may never have been as into fashion as my mother and sister…or even her own mother were, but she knew how to do it up right when she was ready to. That day she seriously put her best self forward. Two weeks before the big day she had dragged me shopping with her…okay, maybe I didn’t mind that. Having something new for my own defense a few weeks away wasn’t a bad thing. Together we’d found her a really hot, but completely appropriate black Armani, pleated front dress with a fitted top part, sleeves that stopped at the crease of her elbow, simple rounded neckline and a slight A-line skirt. Looking around, I found her a great little rose gold, cable chain necklace with a small bezel set diamond pendant, a pretty rose gold Michael Kors watch. Both of them were on sale. She finished off her look with a pair of rose gold, endless hoop earrings.

Then I talked her into going to the lingerie department…just for fun. Yeah, I managed to talk her into getting a pretty little, light pink ‘balconette’ bra and thong set. Damn my baby’s ass looks amazing in a thong. Once again, my smooth talking served me well, I convinced her to leave the department with those two semi-necessary pieces and a red, sheer L’Agent Provocateur teddy. Once she’d made me a very happy man, she dragged me to the shoe department and ultimately found a pair of patent leather, Via Spaga, high, platform, peep toe pumps that she absolutely had to have…especially when she realized that they were half off. Then she decided that she needed a new purse. It took us forever to find her a black, Lauren by Ralph Lauren tote that had a lining that was a perfect shade to match her rose gold accessories. Thankfully it was on sale…because there was no way I was spending more on a purse than on a watch. By the time we had her straight, I was so tired that I almost wished that my silver tongue had managed to talk me out of my own new clothes…but that didn’t happen at all.

Tonya dressed for her defense like a general dressing for war. After her shower and the shea butter was rubbed in, my wife slid on a little eyeliner, some mascara and a very light dusting of powder. Only then did she pulled on her bra and panties set, then a thigh length black slip. The dress went on over her head and after she smoothed the skirt and fixed the sleeves, she put on her jewelry and watch. I was sitting on the bed already dressed in a pair of navy slacks and a bright blue polo shirt. I watched her smile as she placed her Star Trek wallet into the new tote. It was followed by her iPad and the bright purple flash drive that contained her presentation. The last thing to go into the bag was the garter my grandmother had made her with the bat’leth pendant sewed on. She said it was her good luck charm. I guess it worked. Or maybe it was the fact that her presentation was epic.

We met Kev and Tricie on the way down to the garage and rode over together. Her defense was scheduled to begin at one thirty, so we made sure to arrive by just a few minutes after one. Tonya went in there and she killed it. Kevon helped her make sure that everything ran smoothly with the tech. When the professors arrived, my gorgeous woman was waiting on them at the door, looking regal as she greeted the committee members with handshakes and pleasant conversation. Her advisor presented her to the committee with a glowing introduction. From there, it was her time to shine. Her presentation was roughly twenty-five minutes and it was completely perfect. Every slide matched her statements exactly. She wasn’t long winded and she handled every interruption with aplomb. She was able to answer every question the six-member committee threw at her without any hesitation or difficulty. Once they were satisfied, the committee had her step out as they reviewed her two hundred and eighty-one-page paper a final time. When they called her back in, she was still poised and confident. She passed her defense with only one page of notes for correction. That was extremely good, almost unheard of really. She had those completed and her totally finished and ‘published’ paper ready for the library shelves well before her deadline. And then it was just a matter of getting a job. In her field, her dissertation was what a portfolio was to an artist.

As she started her job search in the cities we’d all agreed we wouldn’t mind living; Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte, DC and Boston; I started knuckling down on my presentation. Three weeks before our projected graduation date, I went through the same trial. Kevon and Patrice had both passed their Master’s defenses with only a few pages of notes each. I found that I was much more nervous than when I’d defended my MPA thesis. But I went in there in a great, charcoal gray, Canali suit, ice blue shirt and navy and gray tie…I was feeling great since Tonya’s idea of a good luck kiss was a blow job before I got dressed. I had to admit the dicks on my committee were seriously assholey…they questioned my use of an ellipses in a Woodrow Wilson quote. It took longer to get through the damn questions than it had to get through the summary. But after their little tete-a-tete, I passed with two pages of pretty nitpicky notes that I dutifully updated and submitted for publishing.

I don’t know how my dissertation got into the hands of the mayor of an Atlanta suburb, but before the damn thing made it onto the library shelf, I’d been called for an interview for a position that was a fast track to county manager…from there it shouldn’t be any trouble to become a county commissioner or a mayor. Best of all they were offering me a starting salary a full thirty thousand dollars more than I’d hoped to start at. Before I could even tell Tonya that I’d gotten the job, she was telling me about her new position at Emory. She’d been in the running for one at Spelman as well, but the school had closed out the position without filling it. Best of all, before Spelman had pulled the listing, Emory had upped their offer by ten grand. Tonya had, understandably, jumped all over that one. Kevon was the next to get an offer in the metro Atlanta area. Amazon offered him a job in their software development department and he was literally able to pick which office he worked from. Since two of us had jobs in Atlanta already and Patrice had three interviews in the area too, he picked there too. Other than the Georgia capital, I’d gotten interviews in Charlotte and DC. Tricie had gotten an offer in Boston and a completely unexpected one in Denver.

By Thanksgiving we had our future all lined up. It was great. Telling our families was pretty epic. It was easy to see the pride they had in us and the relief that we’d been able to find our start. Of course, they all had advice. Dad thought we should just rent out our condos rather than selling them. Grandma, Essie and Auntie MJ all thought we should sell everything, our condos, our furniture and just take our clothes and such. We definitely decided to sell the condos. We didn’t know anything about renting property…that was MeDe, Sam and Puck’s deal, not ours. We’d originally planned to keep our furniture. It would be expensive enough to move and pay rent again until we could find new homes…we didn’t want the added expenses of buying new furniture too. But then, amazingly enough, we got offered so much for the furniture we couldn’t resist. Granted Tricie’s furnishings made double what ours did, but it didn’t make sense to rent a big ass U-Haul when we could just sell ours too. So that was what we did.

Graduation got there quickly after Thanksgiving. The NYC siblings got to Ann Arbor first with Hudson and our newest niece, Nikki. The five of them held us down. They put in work helping us get all our shit packed, helping us get the condos ready for their next owners. It was a trip seeing them packing and moving our stuff. I couldn’t resist taking a picture and posting it on my twitter feed with the caption ‘even major rock stars can’t avoid helping friends or family move’. Darcy picked it up and shared it on her and KAMA’s feed. People loved it. I liked that people got to really see that Mercedes’ hubbies were good guys and they treated her family as their own as was right and proper. I wanted the world to see them like we all did.

Graduation was…it was graduation. Mom forced all of us to get new clothes, which Tricie loved but the rest of us just humored her in doing. It was nice to make our parents proud and allow our families to share in our accomplishments since they had had our backs all throughout our entire lives. Once we got the pomp and circumstance all done and over with, we had a little twitter drama for KAMA. Tonya and Tricie really wanted to find old girl and go ham on her ass. Kev and I didn’t disagree, though we couldn’t touch her. The whole big ass family went out to dinner and we got all the ‘graduation gifts’ from the Jones family members who weren’t going to join us for Christmas. The Harris side of the family, other than Mom’s brothers had sent us money. So had most of Tonya and Tricie’s extended family. We’d put it all in our accounts…a total of around fifteen grand per couple was going to go really, really far. Granted, it had to be said that it wasn’t that we’d gotten fifteen one-thousand dollar gifts…it was that we’d gotten so many hundred, two hundred, two-fifty buck gifts from so many different relatives.

Still, we went into Christmas more than stoked. When we saw MeDe’s house, I worried just a little. I mean we were happy as hell for her, but damn that was a lot of house. We knew we were staying there every time we came to visit Lima. But even more than that, we saw through all the parents. They wanted the three of them to see Lima as their primary home. So they designed a house that would make that more likely to happen. All the guest rooms were very good sized and they each had their own bathroom. Our guest room was directly above the library…which was still waiting to be filled, though it already had walls full of bookshelves and some seriously comfy looking chairs. Plus, Mom or someone had brought over the books MeDe had left at home. It had the same bamboo floors as the rest of the house, and the walls were painted a soft gray with subtle hints of mauve. The room had a small sitting area in the dormer, a decent walk in closet and a really nice three-piece bathroom with a double sink vanity. We managed to get our things unpacked before getting dragged shopping for ‘temporary’ home goods. MeDe had us each pick out the towels and stuff for the bathrooms in our rooms. It was actually a little bit fun.

What was both less and more fun was sitting around listening to all the stuff they needed to get to really complete the house. It was less fun because it was hella daunting and seemed like it was gonna be expensive as hell. It was more fun because, hell, me and Tonya were both taking notes. That whole making a house a home came real natural to MeDe and Tricie…but me and Tonya would decorate everything with sci-fi paraphernalia…in fact we kind of had where we’d lived before the condo. We wanted our next place to look adult and put together in case we ended up needing to entertain bosses and co-workers and such. So we listened and we learned. We knew that it would be helpful to make our ATL apartment a nice, if temporary, home.

Then the next day, we went shopping with the only person in the world who could medal in shopping at the hypothetical Olympics…Mercedes Antoinette Jones. Okay, that wasn’t as bad as it could have been…especially since with all the drama of our thesis and dissertation defenses, not one of us had done any Christmas shopping. Truth be told Tonya and Tricie could claim that, but me and Kev we never shopped early. Unless we happened to be somewhere and just saw something we knew was perfect for one of our family members. They could bet that their gift had been purchased between December twenty-first and twenty-fourth and if it was wrapped instead of being in a gift bag that was only because the store offered free wrapping service and the line wasn’t crazy long.

Going to Easton Towne Center with the family…I got all my shopping done in half a day and it wasn’t even all stuff from the same store. Which was awesome, because we’d only gotten three gifts by that point. I’d gotten Becah a two hundred and fifty-dollar gift card for her dream medical school, Case Western in Cleveland. Tonya had taken care of George by getting him the same thing her dad had wanted, a Lowes gift card. We walked around in a pretty large group at first. Though Tonya stuck close to Tricie and MeDe so she could figure out things like what thread counts meant and which ones were the good ones like we’d slept on the night before. When I could, I’d slip away and check out cool little places like Brookstone and Paper Source. It was in Brookstone that I found gifts for Angel Mom and Sander, Saul and Mills. Sander was hell on headphones. He was just…constantly killing the cords and Gabby wasn’t any better. So I grabbed them a pair of matching black gray QuietComfort 35 acoustic noise cancelling wireless headphones I found Saulie a cool Livescribe 2GB Echo smart pen which was a pen and a voice recorder together. I figured that dealing with all those schiesty banker types that could def come in handy. Then I found Millsie a Yellow Jacket, black stun gun case for her iPhone. That seemed like a perfect gift for her. Sometimes, she went into sketchy parts of Manhattan.

While I was in Brookstone, Tonya was finding Mom and Dad a pair of matching Giraffe at Home 'Luxe' Throws, black for Dad and one in a pretty shade of mocha for Momma. She also found Bubbie Ruth a Waterford Lismore Diamond eight by ten picture frame and Kev and Tricie each a cool new professional looking bag that were expensive enough we could get away with calling them joint Christmas and graduation gifts. I had to give her credit the Tumi black Davenport messenger bag she got for Kevon was twenty percent off and Patrice’s black Tory Burch Block-T leather tote bag was like half off. MeDe’s black leather Marc Jacobs biker backpack was just as good a deal. But I was sure I’d done good since I found Puck and Sam’s PS4, Stevie’s Rosetta Stone Klingon edition and the cool Bluetooth droplet speaker for Jake. Kevon talked me into going half on a Nintendo DS and a bunch of games for Nikki. Good thing we did too. Tonya got little Beth a whole bunch of books and clothes and boring stuff. 

As the day slipped away, we were getting desperate looking for things for the rest of the crew. I found MamaChole a pretty lamp that I knew she would love at Things Remembered. Tonya got Tessa, Sarah and Hudson beauty gift sets from Nordstrom…which just left us with Stacey. As sweet and gentle and kind as Stacey was…she was ridiculously hard to buy for. But by the same turn she was ridiculously happy for whatever she got. Eventually, we finally settled on a pretty little silver cross necklace with diamond chip accents and a center stone of aquamarine…her birthstone. We had helped Mercedes and her guys get all the stuff they needed to get, we’d managed to learn what the hell we would need to get. In fact, we got two sets of six-hundred thread count sheets for the king sized bed we were going to buy when we got our next place. When we got back to my little sister’s big ass house, we had work to do. There were linens that had to be washed. We had to put everything away. There were dishes to wash and put away. But MeDe pressed her friends into servitude and the parents joined us too so it didn’t take near as long as it could have. Mainly because we used every washing machine in that big ass house.

While Kev and I were lugging a load of fresh towels up to the fourth floor linen closet, he asked me something that scared the shit out of me. “What did you get Tonya for Christmas?” I guess the look of horrified mortification on my face told the answer to that. “Yeah…me neither. I thought that I could get Pattie something today…but I got so busy trying to find more and better gifts for the fam than she could that I kinda forgot.”

“So what’s the plan?” I shot back.

He shrugged. “Tomorrow we sneak away and hit the mall.” It was a good plan…nice, simple.

It was working too. We caught Sam and Puck after they had finished their assigned chores and so had we…we scooped up Jake and skedaddled before anyone could tell us something else we needed to do. We talked on the ride to the mall as Kev tried to come up with something to get Tricie. We clowned Puck a little bit for his Daddy gone viral moment when the two of them were at Whole Foods. Then Jake came up with a great idea as we were heading into the mall. Once Kev’s reticence about his budget was done away with, we knew what Trice would love…so we were off to the jewelry store. Sam and Puck decided to run and get my little sister some stuff I didn’t want to think about her wearing. But Jake had Puck’s card and he could sign for it. So we were golden.

Or so we thought. As soon as we walked into the store, the sales person started acting like we were casing the joint. It was more than a little fucked up…but in Lima there wasn’t a lot of choice, so we dealt with it. Trice didn’t really like cheap looking things, so Kev was getting really frustrated with the things ‘Ben’ was showing us. I took control of things. “Man, look…my brother cannot take his wife of a grand total of six months a cheap gift for their first Christmas. We’re looking for a tennis bracelet in white gold or sterling silver, half carat or better. The only way he is going under half a carat is if you are showing us something that has superior quality diamonds or platinum.” I told him authoritatively.

That finally got him to show us some bracelets that Patrice Seraphina Foster-Jones would allow to touch her wrist. It still took a few tries to finally find a round cut, half carat tennis bracelet with fifty-two diamonds and a tongue clasp. It was a great starter diamond bracelet. It looked good, Tricie would love it and it wasn’t so far outside Kev’s budget that he felt some kind of way about it. So we get ready to check out. The clerk rung us up and Jake hands him the card and goes to hand him his license, when ole dude takes the card and disappears into the back. we looked at each other like ‘that was weird’, then boom two rent a cops bust in and start shouting at us. I move towards Jake and next thing I knew one of the assholes had me and Kevon at gun point, so I slid in front of Kev a little bit to shield him. I looked over at Jake. “Jake, don’t worry…”

“Shut up, Nigger. We’ll do the talking here.” The one by Jake shouted. He grabbed Jake and forced his head to the display counter. “Where did you steal that credit card, Domino?”

“Hey man, the card wasn’t stolen. And watch yourself, he is seventeen years old. There is no call for all of that.” Kevon said bluntly.

The one with the gun on us got belligerent too. “He said keep your mouth shut, Buck Nigger.”

I growled. Those racist muthafuckas were really pissing me off. Before I could say anything, Sam and Puck came storming in mad as hell. Even hearing that the card wasn’t stolen and that Jake was a signatory…hell, even when the real cops showed up and heard what happened and told them to let us go…they still didn’t leave us alone. Nothing changed until Dad and Uncle Ethan rolled in with the store manager. Only then did that asshole finally get his gun out of my face. We all listened as the clerk got fired and the manager gave some lip service to how that wasn’t acceptable behavior for the store’s employees…but I didn’t believe that for a second. Something in his tone told all of us that if we came back in a week or two Ben’s ass would be right back behind the counter.

Sam must have heard it too. Because once the dust settled, he told the jackass that we were going elsewhere. So we went to Macy’s and hit their jewelry department hard. Tricie ended up with a three carat, round cut diamond tennis bracelet, a matching necklace and a pair of onyx and gold medallion earrings…the tennis bracelet and necklace, Sam had brought, and the earrings Kev spent the better part of his budgeted money on. Tonya wasn’t very much into bracelets so I found her a beautiful blue and white sapphire, white gold necklace. I was going to buy it. But Sam grabbed it before I could. So I went back and got her a pair of sapphire stud earrings that were really nice and real, but that were simple enough to wear on the daily if she wanted. I made sure to pay for those myself. As I was wrapping up that purchase, Puck called me over to check out the ruby and diamond in white gold bangle bracelet he found that he thought Momma would love. He was right it was perfectly her. I found a pretty watch with both white and chocolate diamonds around the face looking like a hurricane and a brown satin strap that looked like it would be perfect for Me Maw. 

We found the perfect bauble for every woman in our whole family from Grandma Mae all the way down to Mara. Hell, Sam was so mad he even got MamaChole and Ms. Quita a pair of two carat diamond stud earrings each. Puck made Jake pick something nice for his girl Chase…but that Jake couldn’t get her anything over two-fifty. That was to make sure that it wasn’t too much or made her think that Jake had more feelings for her than he did. But he managed to find her a really pretty little sterling silver and CZ oval locket that we all thought was perfect. Once it was all rung up, Sam and Puck had Jake pay and sign for the purchase and the lady almost fell all over herself being polite and personable to us. Hell she even offered to have everything wrapped before we left. Too bad we didn’t have time to take her up on that. Once they were all wrapped, most of the tags said it was to the woman from Santa. But Tonya’s, Tricie’s and Chase’s all said the gift was from their respective significant others.

On the way out of the mall, Sam did just what he said he was going to do. He walked right into Kay Jewelry and slapped that foot long, Macy’s receipt on the counter, told that guy how badly he’d fucked up and walked away. When we were leaving, the manager started to cry. Maybe I should have felt bad for him…but then again the person he hired and trained had caused a gun to be held on me and one of my brothers and the bruises that were almost destined to be appearing on Jake’s cheek. Unfortunately, we still couldn’t head back to their house, we had to go and give statements against the one ‘security guard’ that they had arrested. It kind of pissed me off that they kept trying to make it seem like this was all Puck’s fault for not staying with us. If I hadn’t already loved Puck like a brother before, when he told that cop that black men shouldn’t need an ‘approved white person’ with them to prevent racial profiling and harassment…I’d have proclaimed him family in that moment.

Thankfully, Christmas Eve was kind of chill. The seriously awesome Mario Kart game MeDe had gotten Puck for Christmas had been delivered the day before so whenever anything needed to go down to the basement me, Kev or Jake handled it. We did get away to take Triple S, Nikki, Melli, and Double A&S into the big ass back yard to play in the snow and build snowmen. That was pretty fun. At least it was until Tonya and Tricie decided that we should be pelted with snow balls. Everyone opened one gift on Christmas Eve from our trio of hosts. Every gift was a pair of pajamas. Mine and Tonya’s were the best. They had gotten us Star Trek pajamas. Kevon got stuck with a pair of boring green, old man pajamas…I felt bad for him. We all slept good that night.

Christmas morning was more than awesome. We opened gifts in rounds. I was loving all the cool things everyone had gotten Tonya and me. We mainly got combination graduation and Christmas, couple gifts. A lot of them were big gift cards to furniture stores…we definitely appreciated those. The eighteen to twelve set got us a large gift card to William Sonoma…Tonya might not have known sheets, but cookware was her bailiwick. So that was awesome. Personally, my favorite gift came from Lil Nikki. She got me a Doctor Who: The Matt Smith Years Blu-ray set…I loved that. Tonya loved her copy of Living Language Dothraki: A Conversational Language Course Based on the Hit Original HBO Series Game of Thrones too. Nikki was an awesome kid. Definitely one of my two favorite nieces. However, the absolute best gift came from MeDe, Sam and Noah. They bought us a house in Atlanta near Emory…well a townhouse. For real, they bought me and Tonya a two bedroom, three-bathroom townhouse. We opened a shirt gift box to find a folder inside it. 

When we opened the folder we saw the picture of a pretty little set of townhouses. The next thing behind the picture was a set of directions that went from Mom and Dad’s house to thirteen-forty-four Stillwood Chase, Atlanta, Georgia. I pulled that out and handed it to Tonya and saw a two-page floor plan. The top page was the first floor. There was a two car garage and office at the back of the house, a first floor master bedroom and bath with a good sized walk in closet. The living dining, and kitchen were all open to each other and the laundry room was on the first floor behind them and across from a full bath. Up the stairs were the guest room, the third full bathroom and a nice loft area. I looked at Tonya and she was already up and across the living room trying to hug MeDe, Sam and Noah all at the same time. While I was sitting there looking at the things in the folder confused, I noticed that in the bottom of the box there were two sterling silver key rings with two keys on each. I was ashamed to admit it, but it took me five full minutes to realize that they had given us a house.

Just as they finally got Tonya to stop hugging them, I launched myself at them and started hugging them like crazy. Trice was a smart cookie, she’d looked through the rest of their stack and found an identical gift box for them. They were going to be right next door to us. When they caught up to on what all the papers in the folder meant, they glommed onto the hug too. I think Kev cried…maybe I did too. I was sure that I promised MeDe our first born child if they wanted it. It was really great. I had the best family in the world. So much so that I didn’t even complain about all the giftwrapping paper we had to clean up once all the gifts were finally opened. Hell, even though MeDe had gotten a custom, fully loaded Mercedes and Nadia had gotten Uncle Bryant, I was still sure that Tonya and I…and I guess Kev and Tricie…had had the best Christmas ever. The rest of Christmas day was a freaking blur. I know that we told MomaChole and Lester all about the new house and I overheard Tricie and her mom giggling about the marvelous layout of the house.

There was some paperwork we’d have to complete before we moved down to Atlanta, but Uncle Ethan was sure that it would all be taken care of with no problem before we left New York. Once dinner and dessert had been devoured, the leftovers put away to be taken to the party the next day, and everyone had retired for the evening. Tonya and I finally had a chance to talk. “Thank you for my necklace and earrings. I love them.” She whispered as she rested her head on my shoulder.

“Well, the earrings were me…the necklace was part of Sam’s idea of revenge.” I told her the story of the Macy’s trip, minus the part where I bought those earring that night.

Tonya laughed. “Dear Lord, they have no idea what is about to happen to Kay Jewelers…Sam is southern, and southerners hold grudges like a toddler holds their favorite binkie. Think about it…some of them are still mad about the Civil War.”

“Yeah, well, I’d feel bad for them if I hadn’t spent ten, fifteen minutes thinking that me or one of the brothers were going to end up as the next hashtag.” I grumbled.

She gave me a long, lingering kiss to calm me down. “Von…MeDe and her boys bought us a house.” She said happily. She pulled away from me to kick her legs up and down under the sheets. She even grabbed a pillow to hold over her face as she squealed in joy.

When she was calm again, I pulled her back to me. Then changed the conversation to a happier subject. “You know…that means we don’t have to wait until summer to get you a car.” I reasoned. We’d been planning to wait a while, get used to our new bills schedule and budget before buying her a car of her own. It wouldn’t have been hard to do; my office was very Marta accessible. She’d have driven the SUV my parents had gotten me years before and I’d have ridden mass transit. But the two-year plan was to get her a car, pay it down for a year to sixteen months, then replace my vehicle. The five-year plan was to pay off her car and pay down mine before we started looking for a house with enough bedrooms to start giving the parents some grandchildren.

“So, are we still going to wait five years before we have kids?” she asked quietly.

I looked over at her. “Do you not want to wait?”

She sighed. “Every time I see you with Mara, Maea or Sloane…my ovaries weep. Watching you with Nikki and Beth is almost as bad as the babies. I can’t wait to make you a daddy. But by the same turn…it makes sense to wait on selling the house until things rebound a little bit more…plus we can save up on the side to have even more to buy a forever home with. Then there is the fact that I would love to make tenure before I have kids. Giving myself five years to work that out first is the best thing for my career. Yeah...I don’t want to wait, but I know it is the right thing to do.”

I nodded. “I’m actually glad to hear it. As much as I cannot wait to have children with you…I’m enjoying this time that we have that’s just the two of us.” Tonya’s appreciation of that sentiment led to a second round of lovemaking that was slow, thorough and even more satisfying that our earlier bout.

“You think Kev and Trice will ever realize that we only picked cities with good sized to huge comic or sci-fi conventions?” She asked drowsily after we grabbed a quick shower, slipped on our Christmas pajamas and got back into the almost ridiculously comfortable bed.

I shrugged and was asleep before I could tell her that if they didn’t that was their own fault. I slept deeply and had awesome dreams. In fact, I thought I was dreaming when MeDe shook me awake. “De…Dev…Devon…wake up. Come on. I need your help. Wake up.”

“I’m up," I said groggily. I was a little surprise MeDe was up and dressed so early after what was probably a pretty late night for them. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I want to go and get Sam and Noah a little something extra since they got me so many really awesome gifts not even counting the Mercedes.” She whispered.

“They weren’t counting.” I groaned. “They wanted you to be happy so they bought you stuff you’d love. You wanted them to be happy, so you bought them stuff they love.”

She rolled her eyes. “I spent less on the two of them together than they spent on my car alone…when you add in the earrings and everything else. It looks like…”

“You don’t want to hear on E! that you’re stingier than they are or that the relationship is inequitable.” Tonya said sleepily as she pushed me to get up. “Go…help her. Sam and Noah won’t get it…but the infotainment media will rip her apart. I’ll explain things to her boys.”

So I got up brushed my face and washed my teeth, or whatever and put on a pair of Dockers and a sweater and we headed out. MeDe had me swing by and grab Sander too. “You sure about this Mercy?” he said handing us both travel mugs of coffee. God Bless the man. “Sam is definitely gonna feel some kind of way about this…Christmas giving shouldn’t be about one-upmanship.”

There was more eye rolling from my little sister. “Are guys just unable to get this one? I’m not trying to one up my husbands. I’m just trying to make sure that we don’t give the media or our naysayers any ammunition on saying that I’m in this relationship for anything other than love.”

I could see from Sander’s gobsmacked and slightly angry expression that he was having the same realization I’d had twenty minutes before. “Yeah, Tonya said she would explain to the guys what MeDe is facing and trying to avoid. You know how hard the media always go at her in the first place.” I told him with a long suffering sigh.

He just nodded. There was nothing else to say. If there was a way to help keep the media from batting at MeDe, anyone of the men in the family would do it. “So…what did you need our help with?” he asked since he finally understood.

“I know how to change a tire. I know how to take a car for the needed maintenance…I don’t know how to buy one. I know that Sam likes pickup trucks…I looked online and the Ford F-150 is the gold standard of pickup truck…but I have no idea what specs to look for and what features he would want. Same thing with Puck and his love of muscle cars. I know that I won’t be able to get a cool paint job in their favorite colors like they did for me…but I, at least, want to get them what they would walk on the lot and get for themselves.” Mercedes told us with a grin on her face.

“So Reineke and then Tom Ahl?” Sander asked and we agreed quickly. The Ford and Dodge dealerships were right up the road from each other. We went up to the further away one and made the left turn careful of those who weren’t quite used to driving in the snow. One of my high school classmates had wrecked his Christmas present car on Boxing Day just because he was driving too fast for the conditions. We parked and entered the Ford dealership to find several sales people milling around the floor. As soon as we stepped foot inside, three of them headed our way. “We’re all together. Just need one of y’all.”

I don’t know if they recognized Mercedes for her career, or the air of ‘definite sale’ that she was giving off…or if they were just that bored. But the fact that only one of them was needed set them to arguing. An older gentleman of Middle Eastern descent came around the bickering trio…one of which I recognized from high school and greeted us with a warm smile and a firm handshake. “Hey.” The guy from the class behind me objected.

Reza, as he’d introduced himself gave an unconcerned shrug. “Well, since I had to leave my wife and two kids to come to work this morning…I’m going to work and not bicker over who gets the sale.” He threw back over his shoulder. Then he turned to us. “Besides…if I can go home and take my thirteen year old daughter Mercedes Jones autograph…I’ll be Dad of the year for sure. So what can I help you find?”

“I need a truck.” MeDe said with a smile. “It’s for Sam and I need you to tweet it out and tell them I got it before Christmas but you promised not to say anything until after.”

Reza looked confused for a long moment. Then he laughed. “You know…the first Christmas after my wife and I got married, she got me an antique pocket watch…I got her lingerie. The next day I was at the jewelry store in the mall the second it opened. I probably looked a lot like you’re looking now.”

Sander chuckled. “Cept in this case her husbands loved what she got them too…they just spent two to three times more than she did…”

“And if the tabloid media gets ahold of that information…they will vilify her.” I finished.

“Well…considering that my wife and daughter both just bought your album on iTunes…I don’t want to be any part helping that to happen.” Reza assured us. “Now…from what my little girl tells me, Sam is the blond from somewhere in the south…so you’re looking for an F-150. He’ll want it tricked out…but not a play thing…a working truck. We talking two or four doors?”

“Trucks can have four doors?” MeDe asked quietly.

He gave her a big ass smile. “You are not a truck person are you?”

She scrunched up her face. “I drove my dad’s old Tahoe for the last few years, but I’ve never seen a pickup truck other than Papa Burt’s, Sander’s, Puck’s and Finn’s and they all have two doors. I thought that was the norm.”

“Well, it may be the norm…but there are extended and crew cab trucks that have four doors and seat up to six.” He explained. Then he took us and showed us the differences between the cabs. Then he started in on the different features and he and Sander worked out which ones Sam would want and which ones wouldn’t matter to him. It only took two test drives to narrow their stock of eighty-six trucks down to sixty-four…from there we went through the features Sander was sure Sam would want and that narrowed it down to three. One of those was nixed because it was Titan Red, “Sam only looked so good in his uniform on the field because he had his helmet on.” She reasoned. “Otherwise that shade of red made him look sad.” The other two were blue and white. Sam ended up with the blue one.

When we went into Reza’s office to complete the paperwork, the truck and all its bells and whistles came out to over forty-eight thousand dollars. I almost had heart palpations, but then he kicked in some incentive packages and it came down to just over forty-five grand. Then he added in the tax, tag and title and when MeDe handed him a black credit card, he put almost fifty-two thousand on that bad boy. I didn’t even know you could use a credit card for that much. I mean, I listened to rap so I got the concept of a black card…but the thought that my little sister had one blew my mind.

After that went through, there were still a bunch of things that needed MeDe’s John Handcock. While she was doing that Sander, called Mrs. Abrams and got the truck added to the car insurance she had set up for Puck and Sam’s motorcycles and that MeDe’s Mercedes was on. Once MeDe got the email with the digital cards, we were able to drive that bad boy off the lot. Before we left, Reza took a picture of MeDe petting the front wheel well. We took a picture of her with Reza with his phone for his daughter. She signed the kid a great autograph. Come to find out his daughter was huge into musical theater, so Mercedes’ autograph included a supportive comment about following her own star. It was nice and Reza thanked us profusely Sander got into his son’s brand new twenty-fifteen Ford F-150 XLT Crew Cab four-wheel drive pickup truck and me and MeDe got back into my two-thousand-ten Suburban and we all drove up the block to Tom Ahl Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram. When we were leaving Reineke Ford, their showroom floor had gotten a hell of a lot busier, so it wasn’t surprising that Ahl’s was pretty busy too.

We still didn’t have to wait long on a sales person. One of the guys I had played football with at McKinley came over. “Devon Jones…ain’t seen you in about a minute. How you been doing?” he asked as he came over and give me a handshake and bro hug. “Is this your Little Mercedes…the Diva? Saw you win the AMAs last month. Congratulations.”

“Thanks…you’re Jason right?” MeDe always had a much better memory for people than I did. “Your younger brother James played too. He was a junior my freshman year.” She smiled.

“Yeah…he’s trying to be an orthopedic doctor. He’s a senior at Kent State.” Jason said proudly.

“Awesome.” She told him with a grin.

“So…what can I help you with? Devon, you trading in that Suburban on a Durango?” he joked.

MeDe shook her head. “Actually, I’m shopping and I need a huge favor.”

Jason smiled even bigger. “Whatever you need. I’m positive that Devon and Kevon were the reason my behind didn’t have serious concussion when I was playing a Titan.”

“I need to get my boo, Puck, a muscle car…and I need you to tweet out later that I did it earlier this week.” She told him honestly.

Jason actually got it immediately. “They got you something awesome and you need to make sure the paparazzi and shit doesn’t think you’re with them for them to buy you things or that you’re too tight with your money. I feel you. Shoot, just last night there was a thing on Extra about celebrity birthday and Christmas gifts. I’ve got you Mercedes.” He assured her.

I gave him a side eye. “How come you got that right off the bat?” I was a little shocked. “Tonya had to explain it to me and we’ve been explaining it all morning.”

Jason shrugged. “My girl loves tabloid television…those infotainment shows and E!. You can only watch it for so long without figuring out their formulas and getting hip to their games. They were already speculating about what a poly-thruple gets each other.”

“Well, Sam and Puck got me a hundred thousand dollar Mercedes. So I got Sam a fifty thousand dollar, tricked out F-150…and now I need to get Puck a muscle car. I know he doesn’t care for Fords…and the only other muscle car I could think of was the Challenger.” She told him with a big, bright smile. “I want it red and souped up.”

So he showed us the four that they had in stock. The car came in two different shades of red. Torred or Redline Red Tricoat Pearl…the first was a super cherry red…she hated it. The second was a deeper, richer almost blood red that looked a lot like Titan Red. Jason went over the features of both though and even after test driving both cars MeDe stuck to the same Redline red model she’s preferred from the get go. But there was something bothering me. It niggled at the back of my mind until it slipped out my mouth without ever fully manifesting itself in my consciousness. “MeDe…you can’t get the Challenger. It barely has a back seat.”

We looked at the car again and yeah, it had a bench seat in the back, but it wasn’t one that would comfortably fit the three people Sam’s truck and MeDe’s sedan would fit. “Does that matter?” I could hear the confusion in her voice.

I nodded. “Yes it matters. Think about it, we’re here because you’re concerned about the inferences the media may make about you based on the gifts they gave you. Well if you get Sam a pickup truck that fits a family and Puck a penis-mobile…won’t those same people assume that he isn’t really as important to you as you claim? Like Sam is the family man and Puck is just the play boy.”

“Shit. But he won’t want anything that looks like a Dad car. Puck prides himself on being an awesome…but still cool as hell Daddy.” She argued back.

Jason smiled. “What about a Charger?” he interjected. “They look way more sporty than your average sedan…they handle just like the Challenger…they just have a bigger back seat and four doors.”

Sander nodded. “Not a bad choice. Slightly less likely to be pulled over too.”

“And…unless it sold last night or this morning, we have one that has the same feature package as that Challenger you were about to get.” Our sales guy threw in.

Not only was it still there, it was even the right color. MeDe took it for a test drive and came back even happier with it than she had been with the Challenger. The paperwork was…well it was pretty much a breeze. Mrs. Abrams had been expecting the need for adding another car to the policy and we had the digital cards real quick. Jason took a cool picture of MeDe standing in the open door of the car looking like she was about to get in. She took one with him and me…dude had a girlfriend and little sister didn’t want him getting in trouble for nothing. She left having spent another fifty grand and she didn’t even bat an eyelash.

We were quite the caravan driving back to the house. MeDe in the middle in the Charger and Sander pulling up the rear in the F-150. I texted Tonya and told her to get the guys outside…if she had managed to make them understand. I guess she had because when we pulled into the courtyard, everyone was outside despite the cold. I pulled over to the side rather than pulling into the garage bay that had been emptied by my exit that morning. As soon as I parked, I hopped out and grabbed my Nikki from her daddy’s arms so he could see his present. I don’t know who had the better reaction Sam or Puck. Puck’s jaw hit the floor. “She got me a Charger. Babygirl is my boo, she knows me so well. Damn, Sammy Boy, I don’t know which one is prettier…the car or our woman.”

Sam was just as funny. “Now I’m all conflicted. I don’t want her to think she had to get us anything else. I mean, she gave me every nerd’s dream comic book and now she is getting me my dream truck.” He said softly. “God Damn, I love that woman.”

I just laughed. Sander got out and handed Mercedes the truck keys. She sauntered over…there was no other word for it… and gave each of her hubbies a family appropriately hot kiss and handed them their respective keys. As a thanks for the sweet rides, they each took turns slobbing Lil Sis down, which, while understandable, was still really gross. Nikki wanted down. It was weird that she was so little and light when she was already eight. Even Stacey had been bigger than that when we first met her and she hadn’t been that much older than Nikki was that Christmas. My adorable eldest niece walked over to her embracing parents and tapped them on the legs. That broke the kiss up before EJ could mention, again how gross it was to witness…or the triad could really forget they had an audience. Once she had their full attention she pointed at the two newly purchased vehicles and then at the third new car in the garage. “Your cars are just like you…Blue and red make purple.”

The way she said it, as if it was the simplest and most obvious thing in the world and she wanted to be the one to point it out before anyone else cold was hilarious. It was made even more funny when Sander chuckled and said, “Well, I’ll be dipped in buttermilk. I hadn’t even noticed that one. Was that planned Mercy?”

MeDe, Sam and Noah all looked at their cars and started to laugh with the rest of us. Standing there in the falling snow, I knew that it had been one of the best Christmases of my life. But it was also the last one where I would truly call Lima home. It was a sobering thought, but at the same time…I was ready to take that final step into adulthood. However, knowing that your family always had your back just in case you stumbled on the road called life…that was definitely not a bad safety net to have. Still Looking around at the massive assemblage of our weird and untraditional family, no matter how far afield we moved, I knew we’d never be far from their hearts nor them from ours.

 

Kevon PoV

I couldn’t believe the way that Christmas break went down. I never thought it possible for graduation and getting a bomb ass job to have been the least exciting parts of the holiday. We did more shopping in two days than should have been humanly possible. But I couldn’t complain because it allowed those of us who had been ridiculously busy graduating to get our Christmas shopping done. It wasn’t easy either. There were about thirty to forty people that we had to find gifts for and Pattie said that anyone married as long as the parents in the group were probably wanted non-couply type gifts. Thankfully the place MeDe and her boys took us to had stores that had some of everything. I found Sander a Star Trek toy set that had the communicator, phaser and tricorder from the original series, and the JJ Abrams reboot. My beautiful wife texted me to tell me that she’d gotten his beautiful wife a Dior 'J'Adore' Eau de Parfum Set and my own wonderful parents two bottles of fragrance from Creed’s new line; 'Silver Mountain Water' Cologne for Dad and 'Virgin Island Water' Parfume for Momma. She also got her mother a bottle of her favorite Chanel Number Five.

It was our traditional Christmas give to MamaQuita. Pattie remembered that when she was little, MamaQuita could only afford to get the smallest one possible when she could spend anything at all on herself. As soon as me and Pattie got old enough to be able to actually buy her some ourselves, we always got her a nice gift set or big bottle of the perfume. We’d taken care of that when we were at the mall outfitting Pattie for her thesis defense and we happened to find the perfume ‘on sale’ meaning that it had a really fabulous ‘free with purchase’ gift. When Tonya and Dev had told us what they were getting Becah and George, we’d glommed on and gotten them the same things. It wasn’t that we weren’t as close to them as we were Sander and Gabbie, it was just that we didn’t know their likes and dislikes as well. Add to that the fact that Becah had not had the chance to cultivate any hobbies as she worked so hard to keep her and her kids afloat for so long…we just decided that getting them things for the future was the best idea.

The eighteen to eight set were the easiest to shop for. We just got them what we’d have wanted at their age. The five and under crew all got the same thing, a new outfit complete with matching shoes, two new books, one picture book and one for bedtime being read to, a cuddle toy and a fun toy. So they were pretty easy too. Hudson was the hardest. MeDe wanted us all to make her feel welcome and part of our family since she didn’t have one of her own…but at the same time we didn’t know her all that well. We knew she spoke either as many languages as Tonya or close enough. We knew that she was painfully shy until she got to know you. We knew that she was ridiculously efficient and could roll with whatever punches life threw at her. Finally, Pattie just decided to grab her something she might not buy for herself but would more than likely come to love. That turned out to be Pattie’s favorite Clinique cleanser in a gift pack with a sonic brush. In fact, the deal on that was so good, Pattie went ahead and got one for herself.

The next few days were crazy. I mean, I almost ended up as a hashtag over that bullshit in the mall all because of some dickheads who weren’t good enough for the Lima PD and were too racist to stop and ask questions before resorting to physical violence. That shit was ridiculous. But still it ended up working out alright. Pattie ended up getting a hell of a lot more Christmas than she expected…the tennis bracelet and matching necklace were big hits, but it felt good that she loved the gold and onyx earrings I picked out just as much. It was a great Christmas morning, watching those we loved opening their gifts from us and from each other was warming and fulfilling in a way that was hard to define and harder still to put into words. I hadn’t seen MeDe get so joyous about a gift since that damn princess retreat she’d talked, cajoled and threatened me, Dev, and our Jones cousins into getting and putting together for her. Seeing her reaction to that ‘Purple Rain’ purple Mercedes was heartwarming. Then when we went back inside and we saw the pleasure and joy on Devon and Tonya’s faces when they opened their gift from the triad was even better.

Perhaps my internal musings were what slowed my own intelligence. It was Pattie that figured out that we’d probably received something similar to whatever it was making Devon and Tonya react like that. Tonya was screeching her babbles in a mixture of languages that contained at least Klingon, Romulan, N’avi and French. Devon was completely speechless so we didn’t actually know what they had gotten. When we opened the folder that came out of the box, I think my eyes almost bugged out of my head. “They got us a house?”

Pattie nodded. “They got us a house. Right next door to Devon and Tonya.” She laughed merrily. We got up to give MeDe, Sam and Noah our gratitude.

I was shocked when MeDe seemed a little apologetic. “I know that we’re doing combo and couple all in the same gift…but hopefully you’ll forgive that since they are houses. Of course, they are really just starter homes. We didn’t want to go too big in case you didn’t like them or something. And they are yours. We have to do the paperwork to complete the deed transfer, but when you are ready to get a place to, oh I don’t know, give me a few nieces and nephews to spoil, you can sell it and use that money for something bigger.”

“Oh I see you…you knew that we were planning on holding off on kids until we were thirty and you’re trying to get us to push up the time line.” I joked.

MeDe laughed. “Yup. You got me. I’m a megalomaniacal mastermind intent on forcing you to populate the world with your knuckleheaded, demon seed…so they can be my minions.” She tossed back. Unfortunately, Momma called her to go and help with something for dinner in that moment, so I didn’t get to launch a witty rejoinder…which was actually good for me since I didn’t really have one.

Dinner was excellent as always. If I had not known how new everything was, I’d have assumed that Mercedes’ home had been the go to holiday spot for our family for years. Things went that seamlessly. After dinner we headed down to the rec room and played games or watched movies. It was a perfect post-holiday evening. When the little ones started getting tired, despite having napped earlier, things dissolved and soon enough only those who were staying at MeDe’s house were left. Saying our goodnights, Pattie and I went up to ‘our room’ and made love until we had no choice but to get some rest. The next morning, we went down to find that MeMaw Rose, Tonya and Hudson had made everyone breakfast. Sam and Noah were chilling with Mellie and Nikki in their den watching movies. Saul, Mills, Daniel, Riker, the Uncles, Amanda and Nadia were chilling out in the home theater watching Gone with The Wind. MeDe and Devon were nowhere to be found.

It didn’t take long to find out where they had gone and what their mission was. I also very quickly learned that Sam and Puck hated that MeDe had to worry about things like that a lot more than they did. I had to admit that I really fucking hated the uneven coverage and treatment the media gave Mercedes. Not too long after me and Pattie made it downstairs, Momma and Dad showed up with the rest of the family except Sander who was with MeDe and Devon. So we were all there when MeDe, Dev and Sander pulled in with Sam’s F-150 and Noah’s Charger. Nikki summed them up nicely. It was a cool moment and a reminder that our houses weren’t really that much of a big deal to our famous triad…even if they were still just MeDe, Sam and Noah to the rest of us.

That afternoon there was the party for the New Directions and their families. As much fun as it turned out to have been the year before, me and Dev and our wives were set to have dinner with our wives’ families so we could exchange gifts with them in private, rather than having to try and find a quiet spot to do so the night before. Before heading to our dinner, during the NDs party, Trice and I got together with Devon and Tonya and we all surfed furniture stores to furnish our new homes. The very first thing we did was traded our Ethan Allen gift cards to Dev and Tonya for their Haverty’s ones. Pattie preferred Haverty to Ethan Allen and Tonya didn’t care one way or the other and the total amount on them all equaled out the same. So it was no big deal.

In no time at all they had decided to use the four twenty-five hundred dollar Ethan Allen gift cards they had to order their furniture online and to start with their bedroom. It took them no time at all to agree on a fully upholstered bed with wooden feet called Haven, with the high foot board. They went with a California king size and the finish for the wood in seconds…then we watched while they spent thirty-five minutes arguing over the colors swatches before we finally showed them one called Boone Spice, which was almost the same color as the bridesmaids had worn in their wedding…or Next Gen Command Red, as it were. The search for night stands went smoother. They knew that they wanted ones with drawers. There was one called Rowan with its clean lines and a fantasy based name, no way could they resist ordering two. And though the finish went by a different name, it sure looked like the one they’d picked for the wooden parts of our bed. Then they found out that all the dressers they needed came in the same style and finish too. Yeah, that was happiness. They were even able to schedule delivery for Saturday the third. Which meant that they would only have to spend one night in a hotel or in sleeping bags.

We left them to that, just keeping an ear out on arguments where we could be the voice of reason. We chose to start furnishing our place on the first floor by making sure that we would have places to sit and eat. We hit the Havertys site for our living room and maybe even dining room furniture. Since the floor plan showed both a large, formal dining area and a breakfast nook, we decided to go for a formal dining set in the dining room for schmoozing and entertaining and then a four seat, casual set in the nook for us and Dev and Tonya the rest of the time. We quickly agreed that we wanted regular chairs for both. I hated trying to eat at the bar level tables…not even at restaurants did I want to go through that. It didn’t take us very long to decide on the contemporary Astor Park dining set with six regular chairs and two arm chairs for the head and foot of the table. We got the server and the buffet too, but left the china cabinet alone. We also grabbed the round table from the same set for the nook. Pattie wanted ‘uber comfy’ chairs to go around it. I picked the Aubrielle Parsons chair since it had the same shape as the Aston Park chairs and came in the same dark finish. We looked that same finish for the wood in the living room. But we still started with the soft furnishings first. Neither of us liked the thought of leather seating so those were tossed quickly. Sectionals would either overwhelm the room or not give enough flexibility in arrangements so we got rid of those next. When we finally decided on the Elizabeth sofa in Wheatley Barley, we quickly chose to get the matching cocktail ottoman and two of the swivel armchairs as well. Thankfully the sofa…which was usually almost twenty-five hundred by itself was on clearance for half off. The whole collection was on sale…or else we wouldn’t have been able to afford to get the Concave occasional table set which included a coffee table, two chairside tables, two end tables and a sofa table. The sofa table was probably going to go into the front hall for keys and such. But the deal was in getting the whole set, so we got it and figured we’d be able to figure out where to put it once we were actually in the space. 

That left us with furnishing the master bedroom, office, guest room and loft ourselves. Since doing so then would ensure that we’d be better able to establish ourselves in Atlanta, we decided to go ahead and do so. Besides…it was fun and we had the time. Even though technically we also still had the office to handle on the first floor, we started with our own bedroom. Pattie didn’t want dark wood in the bedroom and I wasn’t a fan of painted or too light a wood tone. That cut our choices down considerably. Then when we removed the upholstered beds, neither of us liked those, we were left with a much more reasonable selection. The bed turned into a compromise. It wasn’t as light as she would have liked it, in fact it was almost as dark as the woods in the living room. But the Welcome Home Poster Bed was pretty much perfect in every other way. We checked out the rest of the collection, but the rest of the furniture looked far too heavy and old fashioned. So we went back a few pages and looked through the nightstands to find one we liked. The Mandara nightstand matched the wood tone of the bed so we went with that line for our dressers and mirror from that set too.

We had to change sites to get the sleep number mattress of our dreams. “Hey Dev…did you remember to look into mattresses.”

“Ummm…no.” He groaned. “Tonya, did you want Sealy, Tempur-pedic or Sleep Number?”

Tonya looked thoughtful before getting happy. “Sleep Number, with the pad that has dual cooling settings. You, husband dear, are hot like fire.”

In a little under the two hours we had between when the rest of the family went to the Wyndham and when we were both heading to the Nelsons and the Fosters we managed to order all the furniture for our townhouse. Well, not the loft because unlike Dev and Tonya who were planning to use their loft space as a library/collection display area…we had no clue what we were going to do with ours. MamaQuita already knew about the house, so she’d gotten us a step and full ten-foot ladder set. “When we got that first house, you were barely toddling around, Patrice, we had everything perfect…I just knew I had thought of everything until the first time I had to change a light bulb. So that is why I always give ladders to first time homeowners.” We all shared a long laugh. She also gave us each a Visa gift card that we could use for whatever we wanted. I think she was a little embarrassed that they didn’t have as much on them as maybe those my family members had given us but she didn’t have to feel bad. She still had two children left at home and most of my relatives either had none or just one almost out the door. Or, in the case of Franklin and Hannah, had that Citizens United money. When money became speech, Franklin’s organization more than doubled his salary to make sure he stuck with them since he was one of their best and most persuasive lobbyists. After dinner we just chilled with the family since we wouldn’t be seeing them again for a little while.

Over the course of the next seven days we flew to New York. First thing Monday morning, Uncle Ethan had us all in his office to get the deed transfer paperwork all signed and he overnighted the originals to the Fulton County Clerk of Court office. When we Uncle Ethan was done with us, the whole family went shopping so we would all have something blue to wear for the portrait sitting. Tuesday we posed for another gigantic family picture for Bubbie Ruth and a million other shots. Wednesday night, we rung in the New Year like rock stars at the most expensive club I’d ever seen not on television. That joint was for real expensive. We each had two drinks…just in case there was a minimum. Pattie and Tonya had two glasses of wine each and me and Dev had a really good craft beer each. Four drinks per couple ended up being a hundred bucks, for each couple. It was absolutely ridiculous. Then that afternoon, after an amazing steak lunch at Wolfgang’s, the non NYC contingent of the family flew back to Lima.

The four of us were really only there long enough to get some rest and say our goodbyes. We left Friday morning. The almost nine-hour drive to Atlanta was undertaken with both Dad and Mr. Lester. We had things pretty much planned out to the last minute. A necessity since both Devon and I started our new jobs on the fifth and Tonya started hers on the twelfth. Pattie technically had to report to her new office on the fifth as well but she wouldn’t officially start her job until the twentieth when the person who would be training her returned from their vacation. That gave her time to decorate our home as she wanted to piece by piece…just as she liked. So she and I agreed to spend the time we had over the weekend, before Dad and Mr. Lester flew home on Sunday evening, to concentrate primarily on helping Devon and Tonya get their place all together.

So we did so. Having left Lima at four, we got to our new homes not long before one o’clock. We had the keys that had been in our gift boxes, but had to switch them because MeDe or her guys had accidentally given Dev my keys and vice versa. The foyer was pretty small, but it was bright and airy. We’d need a coat rack of stand because there was no closet but the floorplans had warned us of that already. The floors were a darker cherry stained hardwood throughout and it complimented the lighter cherry cabinetry in the kitchen, laundry room and bathroom. The ‘public’ first floor bathroom was technically a full bath, though it only had a shower not a tub as the third piece. The walls were done in a very light aqua color glass tile that gave you the feeling of being in the water, in the best possible way. As we walked through the townhouse with Dad, I couldn’t quite explain how quickly the place felt right…like we’d left home only to come home.

Thankfully our schedule held. As soon as we finished the walk through, we unloaded everything in the small, towable U-Haul and our SUVs into the closets and onto the kitchen and bathroom counters. I really and truly adopted Hudson Friedman as one of my people as we were unloading. We were done in a snap since every box was labeled with a D&T or a K&P as well as what room it should go in. That done, we returned the U-Haul, checked into the hotel, showered and got dressed in some non-sweaty clothes. Then we drove to the Atlantic Station and had an early dinner. Once we’d replenished our energy stores, we went shopping. Atlantic Stations was one of those open air, but also interior, shopping and other retail meccas. There wasn’t much for our houses that we didn’t find there over the next few days. The biggest kerfuffle we faced all weekend was that the mattress delivery guy was late. But they still made it and had our beds assembled before bedtime on Saturday night. Pattie was going to do the guest room herself as she had the time, so we hadn’t ordered anything for it at all. okay, so the truth was that we’d been running late for dinner at MamaQuita’s so we’d agreed to hold off on it until we got time to do it later. But saying it the other way had sounded so much more mature.

The fathers helped us tremendously, I’d never put up curtain rods. But they both knew exactly what they were doing. It was almost scary to take them to the airport, and not just because it was our first time on Marta. When they left we were responsible for everything. That was a weighty feeling. We made love that night for the first time in our new home. I was very grateful that our townhouse was a mirror of Devon’s. our bedroom wall was shared with a stranger. That was perfect to us. The next morning, we woke early and Pattie and I went for a run before coming back, showering and getting dressed for the day. We’d done the mapping and it would be easy for Pattie and I to carpool until we were ready to get her a car after our ninety day probationary periods were over. Driving together gave us time to talk and laugh and it made traffic less of a nightmare.

Work was pretty cool. I mean yeah, I spent my morning in the HR office completing a shit ton of paperwork, but when I finally got to meet the guys I would be working with, we got off on the right foot. Even if I was in a full suit complete with tie and most of them were in coffee stained graphic tees and flannel over shirts. Still just talking with them it was soon apparent that they knew what they were doing and that was all that mattered to me. Over the next several months, we would learn a lot about each other. They would learn that I wasn’t one to let them down women in STEM and was in fact married to a shining example thereof. I would learn that many of them had had experiences in high school much like MeDe’s. They would learn that I was not one for bullying, ever. Ultimately I was happy with my first foray into employment. I couldn’t ask for a better benefit package, without working for MeDe and her hubbies. I couldn’t ask for a better starting salary. I was in a great place and I was happy.

Pattie was waiting on me when I was done for the day and we stopped on the way home to grab dinner for the four of us. As we sat and ate and drank wine with our best friends, I couldn’t imagine a better start to the next stage of our lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When it comes to reviews & comments, like the T-Birds sang
> 
> Gimme more, gimme more, gimme more  
> Seriously,  
> The plot bunnies are dying.


	6. Angels We Have Heard on High

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nikki & Hudson's Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank to all of you who have favorited or followed or bookmarked or left Kudos.  
> Special thanks to Isis Aurora Tomoe who is my current Beta rock star

Nikki PoV

I was only eight, but I wasn’t a little kid anymore. My life had changed so much from the year before that I didn’t know if just turned eight me would have recognized the me that I had become just six months later. I missed my mom more than I could put into words. Some days it was pretty okay. But then something would happen and it would hurt so bad that I could barely breathe. Like when I got a hundred on my algebra test, I had gotten so excited about telling Mommy, only for it to hit me that I couldn’t see her reaction because she wasn’t alive anymore. When I got home though, Bubbie made a huge deal of it just like Mommy would have. When I went back to school after everything, Bubbie’d gotten a bunch of refrigerator magnets just for my stuff to go on the door of the fridge so it could be shown off. Abah, Papa and MeDe came over for dinner to celebrate and it was nice. But as nice as it was…there was still a really big missing piece.

I had to go and see Dr. Holly once a week. She was a therapist who specialized in helping kids deal with grief. I hadn’t wanted anyone to know, but then it turned out that almost all of my classmates went to doctors after school for one reason or another. One of my classmates, Julie, she had anxiety and really bad panic attacks. At first I thought that she was having the same trouble that a girl my mother had taught a few years before she got cancer…that girl got a lot better after her stepbrother got arrested. Julie just…she had panic attacks when she got Bs. I thought that she and I were going to be friends, but then I got a hundred on a reading test and she got a ninety-two. She didn’t want to be my friend anymore. That made me mad, but Dr. Holly pointed out that having a few good and true friends was better than having a lot of people who called themselves my friend but really weren’t. Tana went even further. She said that Julie was an idiot and until she proved that she knew how to be a friend, I shouldn’t want her for a friend anyway. Well, Tana used a lot more words MeDe says that I can’t say until I’m thirteen at the earliest…but that was what it boiled down to.

By the time we went to Lima for Thanksgiving, I had made friends. Their names were Marcus and Michelle. They were twins who were my age but in the algebra class I was in with the eighth graders. In fact, once we really started talking I realized that they were in a couple of my other classes too. It was weird changing classes in third grade. In my old school we were in the same room all day. But at the Studio School, I had four different classes I went to every day, five if I counted homeroom. Marc and Michelle were in three classes with me. I felt bad because I hadn’t really noticed. But them Michelle made me feel a lot better. “You were going through a whole lot of sadness. When you first got here, you really looked like you were walking through a fog. It isn’t like people didn’t understand. I mean, I think I would lose my mind if I had to go through what you did. Now, you want to go and see if we can find something gross to put in Marc’s backpack. He is so squeamish.”

She wasn’t kidding, Marc was worse about gross stuff than Kurt. Even though I finally had some friends at my new school, Bubbie, Abah, Papa and MeDe made sure that I kept in touch with Jazmine too. I talked to her at least once a week on the phone and sometimes her mom would let her use her phone to text with me. Not very long after we got back from Thanksgiving, MeDe and I went to a really cool store called Kidding Around and we spent an hour or more picking out the perfect Christmas gifts for Jazmine, Michelle and Marcus. While we were looking, I noticed that we were getting weird looks. One of the things I knew I had to get used to, even if it was really hard, was sharing my family with other people. Since Abah, MeDe and Papa were famous, people were always looking at them and coming up to them wanting an autograph or whatever, but that day the looks were different. They weren’t admiring…at least not all of them. I held MeDe’s hand tighter and leaned in a little closer. MeDe just looked down at me and smiled.

I guess she saw that I was a little scared, so she looked around to see why. I didn’t understand the reason the people were looking at us strange but I guess that she did. She picked me up and gave me a big hug. Mercedes Jones gave the world’s best hugs. I loved my mommy and I always would, but MeDe gave hugs that just, they were perfect. “People sometimes don’t understand the love your father and Sam and I all share. They think it is wrong or strange or they are jealous of it and want it for themselves. You’re used to seeing the fans who’ve accepted us and our love. These people just haven’t.” she told me honestly. “But don’t you worry about it. Because we love each other and we love you and that’s all that matters.”

I thought about it and I decided that I couldn’t do anything about it. Because as Mommy always used to say, the only person’s actions I could control were my own. So rather than pay those people any attention, me and MeDe continued our shopping. We found Marcus his present first. A Batman Lego set…or a Lego Batman set. I wasn’t sure which way to say that. He was really easy…he loved Batman more than Papa…and Papa LOVED Batman. Jazz was just as easy. She loved puzzles. Her whole family did. Her Grandfather had started it and he made sure that his kids and their kids loved them as much as he did. So I got her a thousand piece, puzzles that had a picture of New York landmarks. As easy as it was to get Marc and Jazz presents, that was how hard it was to find something for Michelle. She didn’t like sitting still for very long. She hated dolls. She wasn’t into dress up or anything like that. She played baseball and soccer. But I didn’t know enough about either of those to get her anything for them and neither did MeDe.

Then we lucked out. We were kind of wandering seeing if anything caught my eye, and we entered an aisle that was all about science. Then I went from having no idea what to get her to having way too many choices that I was pretty sure she would love. I finally narrowed my search to just the starter kits…but there were a lot of those to pick from. There were ones for physics, engineering, chemistry and just plain science. Finally I found one of them that had experiments in all the major aspects of STEM. I knew that it was the perfect thing for Michelle…plus too, it wasn’t any more than I had spent on Jazz or Marcus. When we checked out, I got to use the prepaid VISA my parents had given me to get everyone’s Christmas presents with. That was really fun.

Things at school flew by and before it seemed like any time at all had passed it was almost time for Christmas. On December the ninth, we had gone and visited my mom. It was really quiet in the cemetery. I missed her a lot. She had only been gone for a month, but it felt so much longer. Bubbie and I put pebbles on her headstone so people would see that we had visited…that she had people who cared. I cried a lot. But everyone took care of me. Abah and Papa and MeDe were studying for their exams, but they came with us and they held me and they comforted me. It was funny though on the whole ride back to Massachusetts, Binkie had driven and me and Bubbie had talked and joked quietly, while Abah, MeDe and Papa studied in the back seat. Pretty much the same thing happened after we had an early dinner with Jazmine’s family and headed back to the city. It was great to see her and our parents let us open our gifts from each other even though it wasn’t Christmas or Hanukkah or anything. Jazz loved her puzzle. All three of them couldn’t wait to start working on it. Jazz got me a whole bunch of Sudoku puzzle books; three of them with puzzles that ranged in difficulty from challenging to extreme. I loved them. She knew me so well.

It was hard to go and hard to leave, but I was really glad we’d gone. When we got back though Abah, MeDe and Papa had their exams. I had my CSAPs too. So we only saw each other when Bubbie and I went over to have dinner with them. Then suddenly their tests were done and my school was out for winter break. That was awesome. Until I realized that it was the first night of Hanukkah. Bubbie and I said the Hallel together, before she left for work. I actually spent the day at Abah, Papa, and MeDe’s with Tana, Brittany and Artie…oh and Bautista and Patrick. Kurt and Blaine were in and out. But by six everyone was home and we all went over to Bubbie’s except Bautista and Patrick. We had dinner with Bubbie, Saul and Mills and said the V’ai Hanissims then we lit the menorah and said the rest of the blessings. It was weird. I’d felt empty at Mommy’s grave, but I felt her with me that night. MeDe, Papa, Mills, Tana and Brittany gave me, Abah, Bubbie, Artie and Saul gifts and we gave each other gifts, but we were only giving them Christmas gifts. I kind of felt bad for them.

That night Bubbie helped me pack for our trip to Lima, all in my new luggage that Abah had given me. Then we took all my electronics and books and put them into their special backpack with my Sudoku books and plenty of pencils and the great battery operated sharpener I had just for doing Sudoku. We laid out a nice, warm comfortable outfit for me to wear, a pair of black, space dyed waist yoga pants, a teal, long sleeved hooded tee-shirt and a black hoodie with a rainbow, and a unicorn with a teal mane that said ‘Always Be You’…plus some nice warm socks and some Nikes that had every color I was wearing on them. I didn’t like waking up that early, so I didn’t really wake up at all. I showered before I went to bed, so when my three remaining parents got there, MeDe helped me wash my face and brush my teeth, take off my pajamas and get dressed. Then Papa, or maybe Abah took me down to the car and buckled me into my booster seat. They didn’t even put my shoes on me, they just put them on the floor board of the car.

I don’t know how long the ride was. I slept for a while. I don’t even remember if Ms. Hudson was in the car when they put me in or if we went to her apartment and got her after. When I woke up, the sun was high in the sky. We had lunch at a Denny’s because I wanted pancakes. The people there were really nice. They wanted autographs, but they didn’t bother us when we were eating and they made sure that I wasn’t in the pictures. Which was huge because MeDe hated it when people tried to get a picture of me. She said that it was dangerous and she wasn’t having it. I kind of loved her for that. I didn’t like the thought of my picture being all over everywhere for no reason. The weekend was okay. We did spend a lot of time with Uncle Devon and Uncle Kevon and Tonya and Pattie. They were all really smart and really nice. Pattie gave me the best number puzzles. While we were packing up their apartment, she let me have her freshman math books that she had kept. I knew I was going to have fun with those. When I said that to her she smiled a huge grin. “I sure did.”

“What about when people…did they call you a nerd?” I asked her quietly.

She shrugged. “A few of them did. I got tons of flack for ‘talking like a white girl’, for studying all the time. I had to hear from people who swore up and down that me and Kev wouldn’t last because we hadn’t dated tons of other people. But you know what? They weren’t feeding me. They weren’t taking care of me. I stayed true to myself. I liked math and I liked to study. I didn’t see why I should act dumb because I was a girl. Girls are powerful. Women can do things men can’t. There is no reason to make ourselves less than because we were born female. Nikki…never let anyone convince you to be less than God or Hashem or Allah or whatever your call your Lord…what He meant for you to be. I didn’t listen to those others, now I’m married to the man I’ve loved since I knew what love was. I’m about to graduate college with a master’s degree in a field dominated by men…but I’m the one with the highest GPA on that stage. In a few weeks, I’ll start an amazing position making more in a year than those girls who called me a nerd and a dork and boring will make in half a life time. You’re doing mathematics at levels I didn’t hit until I was eleven or twelve. You can be amazing. And I can’t wait to be at your college graduation screaming proudly for you.”

I gave her a big hug. I tried to remember exactly what she said so I could tell Michelle. The girls in our algebra class liked to call us names. Then again Michelle didn’t seem to care. She just told them that their jealousy was showing. Still I decided that I was going to live my life the way my family was teaching me and encouraging me to live it. Find my gifts, nurture my gifts and make a life sharing my gifts with the world around me to try and make it a better place. My grandparents, all six of them, got there with the rest of my aunts and uncles…that was still weird to me since three of them were younger than me…Friday night. Then there was shopping and I got a pretty new dress to wear to the graduation. SugaMama got me a blue, white and black striped dress that had a black moto jacket over the sleeveless babydoll dress. It even came with a cute silver necklace with a heart shaped crystal pendant. I was really glad that I brought the boots Kurt had brought me in November, because SugaMama wanted to get me more shoes too. I was going to outgrow half my clothes before I could even wear them if my new family didn’t stop buying me clothes every time they saw me. Just that same night Yetta Becah had gone shopping happy in Gap Kids and MeMaw Gabby had her turn too. It was just a little too much. But what could I say. ‘No, don’t show me that you love me’. No…that would have been rude. Besides I liked the loving me part just fine.

The next morning we got up and got ready for the graduation. Then when Bubbie and Uncle Saulie and Millsie got there, we all…and I mean all. All of MeDe’s family had gotten there overnight and so did Sam’s MeMaw Rose. I got to meet MeMaw Rose and Grandma Mae, and they were much more what most people thought of when they thought of a great-grandmother than Bubbie. They were really nice and the connection to them was just as immediate as it was when I met MeDe’s aunts. I loved all three of them. They were so funny. I mean Auntie Manda was nice and I liked her and loved her too. But Aunt Ricki, Auntie Kylie and Aunt Alexis they were completely…different from anyone I had ever met before. They were amazing and they actually fought over who was going to play with me. It was really cool.

Right before the program started, I had to go potty. Mara did too. She didn’t like pull ups, so she only wore real panties. It was really cute. MeDe took us and on the way, a lady with really fake looking red hair stopped MeDe for an autograph. “Mercedes Jones…Oh my God. I love you. I saw SongBird like three times and I listen to your CD every single day.”

“Thank you very much.” MeDe said with a grin. “I’m glad that we make something that you enjoy so much.”

“Can I have an autograph?” the woman blurted out looking through her tiny purse for paper and an ink pin.

I pulled on my stepmother’s hand. In a minute, I was going to have an accident and I was too old for an accident. Plus, that would have messed up my boots that Kurt gave me and I loved those boots. They’d made me smile on one of the worst days of my life. “MeDe, I’ve really gotta go.”

“Sorry. My daughter and my little sister have got to get to the rest room. Look for us afterwards and I’ll make sure that you have one from all three of us. Have a nice day.” MeDe said with a warm smile then she took us to the bathroom. MeDe didn’t see the strange look the woman threw at us as we hurried away. I did, I guess she was sad she didn’t get her autograph. I thanked Hashem that there wasn’t a long line and the one lady in front of us let us have the big handicapped stall when it emptied. We thanked her profusely and I made it and so did Mara. We got back to our seats before the program started. It was pretty boring. But I liked listening to the man from NASA. I would love to grow up and be an astronaut. That would be really cool. I screamed really loud when they called Devon and Tonya’s names and then again when Kev and Pattie’s were read. I got really tired of standing up. My feet didn’t really hurt, but my legs did. So Abah picked me up when the standing part happened.

After everything was over, we all went to dinner. The meal was fun. I sat with Sarah, Stevie, Stacey, Mara, Maea and Sloane and we all had a great meal and a happy time. When we got back to the rooms, Abah, Papa and MeDe made me take a shower, put on my pajamas and Abah braided my hair, only then could I take my stuff and go to the kids’ room. Once I got there, we watched movies and we played made up games. It was great. I didn’t even remember falling to sleep, I just remember getting woken up by SugaMama. Breakfast was good. Then we got on the road. The ride from Ann Arbor to Lima wasn’t anywhere near as long as the ride from Harlem to Ann Arbor. We only had a short pit stop before we got to Lima. Instead of going to SugaMama’s house or Yetta Becah’s house or one of the hotels, instead we drove to a big house that turned out to be ours. it was huge. It was big and everything was so pretty and I loved my room it was really awesome. It was really for me to share with Beth…but she would only be spending the night with me one night that time.

I liked Beth, she looked like me, but different. She was my sister though we had different moms and we didn’t live together. I still felt like her big sister…like connected to her. It was weird, but in a good way. But it was okay that it was just me. Especially since Mellie was really cool and really nice. After I put my stuff up we had to go shopping. We did a whole of shopping in just a couple of days. It made me really tired. But it probably shouldn’t have. With Abah, Papa, and all the uncles that were there, I don’t think I walked much at all. But no matter where we went or how much stuff we bought, it didn’t seem like we had enough. Finally, though I didn’t have to go shopping again. I did have to go and get my teeth cleaned…but Pop and SugaMama were a lot gentler than the dentist I used to go to back in Massachusetts. They checked everything. thankfully, I didn’t have any cavities but since I had really deep ridges in my back teeth, they gave me sealants to make it so I wouldn’t get any cavities later.

Then I went home with MeDe and she taught me how to make the spice mix for brining the turkey. And she let me lick the bowl when she made a yummy red cake and another chocolate one. It was fun. She told me all about how the recipes had been passed down from SugaMama’s mother who had died when Uncle Ethan was born and from Grandma Mae who was a really good cook, she just didn’t really enjoy cooking a whole lot anymore. But she made really good breakfast. That evening there was trouble when Abah and Papa went to the mall with Uncle Devon, Uncle Kevon and Uncle Jake. They had been gone for almost an hour when Uncle Ethan came running down the stairs and out the front door looking scared and angry all at the same time. We didn’t find out why until SugaMama got back from a store run. There was a lot of talking and fussing and they kept talking about hashtags, but I didn’t understand a lot of it. What I was able to understand was that my three favorite uncles were in some kind of danger and I didn’t like it one bit. When they finally got home I was determined not to let them out of my sight. I had lost my mommy…I had lost enough. I wasn’t losing them too.

I think I kind of fell asleep watching over them. Then someone put me to bed. I think I showered and everything, but I was really out of it. Christmas Eve was actually really quiet. I helped MeDe and Tessa and the grandmothers in the kitchen. I learned how to make MeMaw Gabby’s southern shrimp salad and Grandma Mae’s special banana pudding. I watched a movie with Papa and Abah. I played with Mara and Maea and Sloane and Sarah and Stevie and Stacey and Mellie a lot. There was a snowball fight in the back yard and everything. Then on Christmas morning…I couldn’t believe that there were so many gifts. I’d never celebrated Christmas before…not even just the secular holiday. We’d always only celebrated Jewish holidays. I was really, really, really excited to celebrate my first Christmas. I got a bike to keep there in Lima and another one that would be going back to New York with us and a set of helmets for both place and a cool pogo stick and some skates and an American Girl Doll and a collectable Holiday Barbie. Devon and Kevon and Tonya and Tricie got me a Nintendo DS. Jake got me a gift card so I could go and get some games for it. I got a lot of clothes and shoes and stuff and some books and some Sudoku puzzles and a really pretty necklace and an iPad and Abah got me a night in the Eloise suite at the Plaza hotel like in the books. Uncle Devon and Tonya and Uncle Kevon and Tonya got new houses and MeDe got a pretty purple car and Uncle Bryant had asked Ms. Nadia to marry him. I knew that it was the first Christmas I’d ever had but I was pretty sure that none would be able to top it.

The day after Christmas, when I got up MeDe and Uncle Devon had gone to run some errands so Abah and Papa told me to brush my teeth and we’d ‘chill out’ until they got back. then when they got back, they had a truck for Papa and a car for Abah and they were red and blue and MeDe’s car was purple so I asked if they realized that. But it seemed like no one had. Adults were weird. They should have been smart enough to have noticed that. MeDe went back into the house and came back a few minutes later in her pajamas, I didn’t quite understand why…but they took a whole bunch of pictures and everyone was really happy. It was really funny. Adults were really weird. We had lunch and Beth came over. She got to open all her gifts and she had just as many as I’d had. She got a whole lot of clothes, toys and books. She got her own American Girl doll and a tricycle to keep there at our house. Mrs. Shelby was Beth’s mommy and Beth had a new Papi whose name was Mr. David to go with Abah and Papa. They opened their gift from Abah, Papa and MeDe and there was a lot of happy laughing and jumping and Mrs. Shelby and Mr. David made Abah, MeDe and Papa really happy when they said Beth could come stay with us when they went on their trip.

I took Beth with me to show her our room. She was really loud about how happy she was. Her mommy loved our room too. I showed her all the cool things on her side and we put some of her toys in her toy box. We only got to play with them for a little while because then we had to go get ready for the party with all of my ND aunts and uncles. I couldn’t wait to see if Tana gave Artie his gift or not. She said that she wasn’t sure if she was ready to give him what she’s got him. I kind of hoped that she got over being scared. I liked Tana, Artie and Brittany all together. I couldn’t help but think that if more people had three-people in a couple, then people wouldn’t look at MeDe like they had when we were at Kidding Around.

I asked MeDe if I could wear one of my new dresses. She said she was fine with that and she even said I could pick it out. I picked a pretty blue dress that had a turtle neck, a bow low on the side and no sleeves, but there was a white sweater in there with it. Best of all Beth had gotten one almost just like it. We had even gotten the same winter coats from Millsie. They were just different colors, red for me and teal for Beth. Abah loved that we were dressed alike when he saw us. We were even both wearing the pretty crystal snowflake necklaces that Santa had gotten us. MeDe and Abah gave us both double French braids. It was nice. There were a lot of cars going to the Wyndham. Abah, MeDe and Papa played Rock Paper Scissors to see who would drive their brand new Christmas cars. Beth and I giggled together as we watched. Papa ended up winning. Shelby had left Beth’s booster seat, so both hers and mine got fastened into the back seat of Papa’s big truck. When we were buckled in, Abah had to help MeDe get in. She was wearing a dress too. A pretty purple dress that was simple and had a weird skirt part that ended above her knees in the front but down her calves in the back. She was wearing wedges and a pretty black coat. Even with the running board she seemed to have almost as much trouble as me and Beth had.

I laughed. But MeDe didn’t find it funny. Once we were all in she licked her tongue out at me. That really made me laugh. When we got to the hotel place where they were having the dinner, a lot of people were already there. Mr. Azimio made sure that I met his daughter Robyn. MeDe told me that she was my godsister. So I promised myself that I would look out for her like I would Bethany. Like Mellie was looking out for me even if I was just her kind of sort of cousin. The party was a lot of fun. There was good food and we could have as much of it as we wanted. Tina’s mom and dad had brought latkes and they were soooo good. They also brought chicken kreplach and that was awesome too. I had homemade dim sum and it may have been the single best thing I had ever eaten in my whole entire life. After food…I got kind of sleepy. Tana said that I ate so much I got the itis. I slept through Lauren telling Finn that she was putting a ring on it. He did show me his ring after I woke up though. It was really pretty. Not as pretty as Tana’s or Brittany’s or Lauren’s or Tina’s…but definitely as pretty as Mike’s or Artie’s and Kurt’s and Blaine’s.

After the party, we went home and MeDe let us pack what we wanted, but she said we could leave some clothes in our closet there to have the next time we came. I really liked that thought, coming back to my room. But I only left the ones that were too big. While I was going through and helping MeDe hang up my clothes that I was leaving, I realized that I had three bedrooms. That was really weird. They were all alike and yet all different and they were all mine. Well, all of them were technically Beth’s room too, but I guess since I had been an only child so long, I didn’t mind sharing with my little sister. Once everything was hung up, we had to lay out our clothes for the next day. The clothes I’d worn to come to Lima had been washed and I decided to just wear them back. Even though I would be flying with Bubbie not driving with my parents. They were leaving really early to drive back and since so many of the family adults were all flying back me and Beth were going to fly too. After we got the clothes thing sorted, we had a bath and got into our pajamas and then we watched a movie with Abah, MeDe and Papa. I let Beth pick and she actually picked a good movie. I loved Brave. Hudson made me think of Merida whenever she wore her hair down. She always had, even before I saw the picture of her at the Halloween party they had all gone to. But she acted more like Merida’s mom than Merida herself.

I sort of felt Abah, MeDe and Papa come in and give us all kisses before they left to go back to our brownstone home but I wasn’t sure. I was sleeping. When we did wake up, we got dressed, washed our faces and brushed our teeth then we had to make the beds with fresh sheets and put the dirty ones in the big laundry room. Bubbie Ruth, MeMaw Rose and Grandma Mae made sure that the house was nice and tidy before we left. Our booster seats were back in the Tahoe and there were tons of extra bags with all the toys. On the way to the airport, SugaMama, Yetta and MeMaw sent all the really big stuff and everything that could be easily boxed up to the houses in Harlem by FedEx so we didn’t have to check so much luggage; oh and the granddads helped too.

I liked flying, but I kind of wished I could have driven back with my parents. But they must have wanted some alone time, because Hudson was with us too. We left Dayton at noon and got to JFK at around two. When we got the brownstone, it was a good thing that I had a key of my own and Hudson knew all the codes because everyone else was at studio already. I got to show Beth the whole place. Then we took a nap. I kind of wanted to argue about staying up, but Bubbie and I had reached an agreement that as long as I only argued when I really wasn’t sleepy, she would let me skip it when I told her I didn’t need one. I was really tired and Beth was definitely tired, so after we put our things away, we went to Bubbie’s and took a nap in my room there.

When I woke up, I got to play with Beth and all our aunts and uncles that were closer to our ages than our parents. I loved playing with all of them and it was easy to tell that Beth did too. We had dinner with the whole family and the next day was a repeat of the day before…just with no flying. It was a great day until after lunch. After lunch we had to go shopping. Apparently everyone needed something new for the pictures we were taking the next day. We were there for a really long time getting new dresses in every shade of blue for the ‘ladies’ and shirts in every shade of blue to go with either navy, black or dark khaki slacks for the ‘gentlemen’. We all got new black dress shoes too. I remember going to clothes stores with my Mommy for back to school shopping and again over winter break to replace the stuff I’d worn out or out grown. But those were the only time Mommy ever went to the mall. My new family took any excuse they could find to go shopping. It was kind of exhausting. But then I couldn’t really complain because they loved it and they always found the cutest things for me. Sometimes I got a little embarrassed at school when I thought about how much my outfit must have cost and compared to some of my classmates, it was probably a big difference. But Marcus had pointed out that as much as it cost to do private school in Manhattan, most of the parents spent just as much on their kids’ clothes as mine did. So I shouldn’t sweat it.

I’d whined inside my mind about more shopping, but I loved the dress and shoes I got to wear for the family portrait. That was a really new experience. Me and Mommy had only taken one picture together that was formal and everything. The volunteer firefighters had sold family portraits for fifty dollars as a fundraiser just a few months before Mommy had gotten so sick. But we’d just sat in front of a blue cloudy day screen for a minute and two weeks later we had an eight by ten of the picture. The pictures I took with my new family were horse of a whole different color. We were there all day. Other than the big ‘Clan’ picture with all…oh goodness, there must have been fifty people in our family…there was also the three ‘family pictures’ with the Joneses, the Puckermans, and the Evanses. Then there was a picture Bubbie Ruth and the grandparents; Sugamama and Pop, MeMaw Gabby and Granddaddy Sand, Yetta Becah and Nonno George. Then there was a picture of just my parents’ generation so the three of them and all the uncles and aunts. Then there was a picture of just Beth and me. Then there was one of our parents, Ms. Shelby and Mr. David and the two of us. Another of just Abah, MeDe and Papa with me and Beth and one of Ms. Shelby and Mr. David and Beth. Then there was one of just the couples and thruple, and one of just the kids. There were a whole lot of pictures. When we finally left, we went and had dinner together at an Italian restaurant named Del Posto. We were shown into a private room they called the Barbaresco room. It was a nice place, there was room for all of us and the food was really, really, really good.

When we got back to Harlem, all the ND aunts and uncles, who didn’t already live with us had gotten there. They were all having pizza. Azimio had brought Little Bird with him so me and Beth took her up to our room. I helped Beth get changed into some play clothes, then I changed myself. MeDe and the dads were all very surprised and very proud of us for doing it. Then we got to play while they went and changed. I was kind of tired of listening to adults talking so I convinced Mo—MeDe, Abah and Papa to let us play while they enjoyed their time with their friends. On New Year’s Eve, the New Direction girls and Tonya and Pattie all went and had a spa day. MeDe asked if we wanted her to see if she could talk them into letting us join her, but SugaMama, MeMaw Gabby, Yetta, Stacey, Sarah and Tessa all demanded some time with us. That was a lot more fun than sitting in some boring old spa for sure.

We had a fun time with the family that night at Uncle Saul and Mill’s house. There was tons of stuff to do and lots of good food and I won Pops two hundred bucks when I was helping him play poker. It was one of the greatest nights ever and a perfect end to a really, really, really hard year. I just hoped that twenty-fifteen was a lot better.

 

Hudson PoV

It is very hard to make people understand that I could not remember ever having had a family Christmas. They hear me say that and they retort with the fact that I wasn’t fully orphaned until I was eight. But the last time we celebrated Christmas, at least according to the one family album I managed to keep through all the different group and foster homes, was when I was three. By the next Christmas, my mother was dead and my father was so absorbed in drowning his sorrows in whatever alcohol he managed to get his hands on there was no celebrating. Granted, I was more extrapolating from the circumstances of my sixth and seventh Christmases and sixth and seventh birthdays rather than actually remembering the time before them. When I entered the foster care system, I was small for my age, smart and pretty. All good indicators that I could easily find a ‘forever’ home. Unfortunately, I was so painfully shy that I went almost catatonic when confronted with prospective parents. I was not what most families were looking for. So year after year, my Christmas consisted of a wrapped package of new underwear and a socks and, if I was lucky, a new book or notepad and pens. They weren’t exactly merry or memorable.

Until that Christmas when I found a place in a family that seemed willing to take on any and all who needed their love and acceptance. We went to see Mercedes’ elder brothers graduated and I had a lot of fun helping them organize their packing. After the graduation itself, we returned to the family’s home town and we found ourselves in front of KAMA’s new home. Ms. Gabby explained where everyone was to stay and I went up to the room I’d been assigned to find a nice large room with beautiful golden brown hardwood floors. For the most part, the walls were painted a lovely white with just the slightest hint of gray. However, the wall that the bed rested upon was papered in an intricate, black on white, gate like trellis patterned wall paper. Directly across from the door into the room was a door that went out to a pretty little balcony. In the room, was a pretty queen sized panel bed with slats at the top of the head and foot board. The bed matched the mirror and wide dresser across from it and the two night stands on either side of it. The bedding was white with these amazing green black and teal designs on it. I walked fully into the room and smiled when I looked to my right and saw a gorgeous set of built in bookshelves and a pretty little writing desk. In front of the desk was a comfortable looking slipper chair with floral over a very light taupe upholstery.

The desk and nightstands all held very pretty, matching, stained glass, tiffany lamps. Noting those with a smile, I headed into the bathroom to check it out. The designer had thought of almost everything. There was a single vanity sink and cabinet with a pretty mirror above it. The wood was painted black and the sink and counter were glaringly white. The floors were continued from the bedroom but the walls were a gorgeous pinkish, peachy, ivory tile from floor to ceiling. Next to the sink was a bright white toilet next to a glass enclosed shower with a blackened oil rubbed bronze rain shower head and two recessed shelves in the porcelain. All the towel racks were of the same oil rubbed bronze. There was one in each of the recesses waiting on washcloths and loofas. Across from the shower, there was an alcove with a white claw foot bathtub with sworls of wrought iron making up the feet and a base in which the porcelain of the tub rested. Behind the tub, recessed into the wall were two more shelves just waiting for soaps and bubble bath. Next to the bath tub alcove was another door that led into a very nice sized walk in closet. A tall chifferobe that matched the furniture in the bedroom was waiting on my clothes as was a beautiful matching closet organization system.

I smiled and unpacked quickly and efficiently. I made note that I would need hangers for the closet and towels and washcloths for the bathroom. I checked under the sink and decided that I would need some form of storage for under there as well. There were also three drawers that would need some form of organizational system as well. Looking around, I found myself almost desperately longing to personalize the space. I thought about the personal touches like sweet smelling sachets and pretty rugs and maybe a television for the room I’d want to get. But I wasn’t sure if that would be appropriate or not. So I decided to ask before I bought anything major. Thankfully, when I asked I found that the room was mine. It was a safe space that I could call my own. I loved that thought. While we were at the shopping plaza, when I wasn’t helping Sam and Noah with their surprise for Mercedes, I shopped and found everything I wanted for the bathroom and closet including cedar wood hangers and thick and luxurious towels and washcloths. I got myself a lovely deep green terry cloth bathrobe that I knew would leave there to have whenever I came home. When we got home I went on line to seek out pieces to make the room mine.

The entire week was interesting. It was s study in a big family Christmas. Even with all the things that had to be purchased Christmas morning and dinner went off without a hitch. It was incredible. I had a pile of Christmas gifts in front of me that almost made me cry. I hadn’t gotten a single gift since I aged out of foster care. It was a really touching thing to realize that these people who had no reason to care for me, cared so much. Opening gifts I was shocked to get everything from fragrance and beauty gift sets to a beautiful Atlas two hand women's watch in stainless steel to a Kindle Fire and a beautiful emerald tennis bracelet ‘from Santa’. I’d never had such an amazing Christmas. Even with the mini dramas, it was definitely the best Christmas I could ever remember.

When we got back to New York, the message from Darcy I’d gotten the night before, ‘I’ve been kidnapped in the best possible way, whatever you do…don’t call the police. I’ll be home for work on Monday’ made a lot more sense. Her original plan would have seen her already back when I got there, but she must have been ‘kidnapped’ by Lester. Those two were so in love with each other that even I could see it. There was something about being in the lives of KAMA that brought those they loved good luck in the romance department. That didn’t apply to me mainly because I just didn’t want or need that type of social interaction. But they had brought me happiness and friendships and affection. I’d not realized how much those things had been missing in my life. I took a little time to set things up for the breakfast meeting the management, legal and PR teams were scheduled to have with Mercedes, Sam and Puck on the morning of the fifth. I double checked, first the schedule of KAMA’s recording studio time with both the studio and the producers and then the spa arrangements I’d made for New Year’s Eve in Manhattan as well as the spa day in LA in between the two award shows they would be there for before returning to the city in time to get ready for the next semester.

I should have realized that I had been included in the plans for the New Year’s Eve partying. But I didn’t until it was almost too late. Thankfully, Mercedes had thought of it when we were still in Lima. When we’d been in the Macy’s there, she had gotten me to try on a few dresses, ‘just for fun’, one of which she had gotten me to wear to Provocateur. At Faina I was treated like one of the girls. The friends enveloped me and Darcy like they always did when they were all together. I oohed and ahhed over all the new promise and engagement rings among the family of friends. Once we all got our hair, nails, skin and massage treatments, we were treated with lunch and then we all showered and had our makeup and hair done for the evening. The hairstylist did something to turn my massive and long halo of curls into a beautiful waterfall of waves. My makeup was done in sheers and neutrals with pops of the gold of my dress and accessories. As soon as we got back to our apartment, Darcy and I went into a flurry of activity getting dressed. We’d showered at the spa, so all we had to do was moisturize and put on our fragrances. Then I helped her with her Va Bien low back, strapless bustier, which would work with the multitude of straps on Darcy’s navy, sequined, body conforming mini dress. Given my much subtler curves, I was able to don my pretty, very simple, gold and black bra and panty set without any assistance. I slipped into the Calvin Klein petite metallic twist-front sheath dress that Mercedes had gotten me for the evening. My hilarious roommate did help me with my gold tone watch. It was always a bother to get fastened. I went into my closet and found my Anne Klein Olita peep-toe shooties that were broken in enough to not kill my feet in the first ten minutes of the evening. I knew that I needed to have too much with me to bother with a clutch, so I grabbed the light gold pebbled tote bag I’d gotten for Christmas from Tessa and filled it with my personal cell and the KAMA cell phone that I always manned. The rest of the space was soon filled with Darcy’s tech. She had her phone, ID, one credit card and some cash in her silver clutch that said ‘whatever’ in bold blue lettering. But her larger phone, with the ‘blissed out’ camera that she used to manage the social media account updates on the go, went into my bag. It didn’t take her a lot of time to get her dress and silver sparkly shoes.

When she came back in she was fastening in a pair of sapphire and diamond earrings, we talked about the officialness of her relationship with Lester. I couldn’t have been happier for her. I watched as she doubled up bangles on one arm and then had one that was about as wide as the other two together standing alone on her other arm. I put on my g-ring, gold hoop earrings, my gold and jet rings and looked in the mirror. It really didn’t look finished. Darcy agreed she went to her room and found a great gold tone jet faux leather black corded statement necklace that she let me borrow and it was the perfect finishing touch. We were very much ready when Lester arrived looking very dapper himself in a deep, dark, navy Gucci suit with a dove gray dress shirt and no tie or socks. His shoes were Gucci too. I was almost positive. “Ladies you two are certainly going to be two of the most beautiful women there.” He told us both before his voice dropped and he whispered to his woman, “Darcy…I’m giving us an hour there, then we’re coming back here unless you want me to take you right there in that club.” 

Lester escorted us to the big, black, shiny stretch Hummer that Rangeman was allowing us to utilize that evening. He introduced us to the driver, a big black man named ‘Hitta’ then we continued to numbers two and four. They were almost all ready when we got there. The ladies were wearing a full rainbow of colors from Brittany’s bright yellow to Patrice’s hot pink and Lauren’s chocolate brown. Amazingly enough, Mercedes’ outfit was rather subdued. The charcoal silk halter jumpsuit with its deep purple fringe belt, wasn’t what one would usually think of when they thought of Mizz Mercedes Jones. She topped it with diamonds at her ears, fingers, wrists and neck, a black mink capelet stole and a pair of marbled gray. Louboutin pumps. Before coming out into the cold, Sam helped her don a purple fox-trim hooded cape. Sam and Puck looked good too, but even in Armani and Zenga, they still didn’t hold a candle to Mercedes. Tonya was the only other woman who surprised me totally. She was wearing an interesting dress that was like four different animal and jungle prints that should never have worked together but they looked amazing on her. with the dress she wore a pair of over the knee, tan suede heeled boots that were about the same color as Patrice’s much lighter complexion and looked fantabulous against Tonya’s darker skin.

We arrived at the door of the club at ten thirty and as we got out and were ushered in with Binkie, Junior and Cal acting as our bodyguards, the people in line seemed to all just about screamed out at the exact same time with Mercedes, Sam and Puck stepped down into view. I came out after them with Darcy and Lester pulling up the rear. Inside the club, we were soon ushered into their large VIP area where Mercedes, Sam and Puck got to meet both Lil Wayne and Drake. I noticed that once everyone was settled and had handed their coats to Cal to manage for the rest of the evening, they moved down to the common floor. They only returned to the VIP when they wanted or needed something from purses or needed to take a load off or use the restroom. Otherwise they danced the night away. our group didn’t leave the club until after three. Thankfully there was nothing at all on the calendar for the next day, because I slept until almost one. A nice long bubble bath and a walk in the snow and I was feeling rejuvenated and revived.

Over the next few days of studio time and preparing for the LA trip, I found myself taking nice long walks as twilight darkened the evening sky. It really helped me to center myself and think through all that was going on. It also helped me not hear Darcy and Lester having ‘damn I love you and it’s even better with feelings’ sex. I was very happy for them but they were at a level of loud that all the sound proofing in the world couldn’t really help. Often, as I walked, I thought about everything I had experienced. The lovely Christmas, finding a place where I felt that I belonged and a family that really cared for me…it was a wonderful feeling and for a change, I couldn’t wait to see what the new year would bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chime In with your thoughts on the chapter.   
> Did I successfully channel an eight year old? Did I make her sound too old?  
> Did Hudson have a separate and different voice?  
> Am I crazy for still spending so much time on these stories?
> 
> What do you think?  
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	7. What Christmas Means 2 Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn had a very eventful Holiday Season

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories  
> The Learning French Series has now topped 2000 reviews!
> 
> Special thanks to Isis Aurora Tomoe who is my current Beta rock star

Quinn PoV

By the end of my first semester of my sophomore year of college, I was rocking a solid three point seven five GPA which was high enough to set me in the top fifteen percent of my class. James was just two hundredths of a point above me with Brad, Max, Taylor and Topanga even higher than him. Kat, Drew and Victor were a hair behind me, but still in the all-important top fifteen. My peer group had expanded to include quite a few girls from the rape crisis group. The ones who’d applauded my strength and the closure that I’d found that had allowed me to move on with a healthy relationship had reached out to me and we’d built a nice rapport. Things were great with James. Our relationship was going so well that I almost wondered what would happen to ruin things. I was very happy and to be bluntly honest, I was not used to that feeling lasting very long. But going into our winter holiday, we were solid. Topanga and Corey were still going ridiculously strong. Kat and Drew had taken to running together and forcing the rest of us along. He’d asked her help in getting into shape. Apparently, he’d had a really bad physical over the summer and he was told that if he didn’t get more actually active rather than just being video game active, his heart would give out early if his pancreas didn’t kick the bucket first. He’d gone to Kat, because he was sure that she would be less strident and restrictive than James or Max would have been. Probably he would have been right if Kat didn’t decide we should all take up jogging for health and stress relief.

I found that I had missed exercising as a part of a group. The structure of it helped me to fully establish a schedule and a routine. I also realized that for me it was a great stress reliever, almost as good as making love with James. I’d heard talk around campus about our clique. Among the underclassmen, we were considered to be the ‘crew most likely to succeed’. I could understand it. As a group, we were fairly driven. We’d actually mapped out the general education requirements before we’d had our very first advisory meetings freshman year, before we’d even bonded as one big group, we had mapped out how to get all the requirements out of the way as soon as possible. Technically the gen ed reqs were designed to be spread out over the entire course of our matriculation. But that didn’t work for the way we all wanted to handle our education, so we’d checked the rules and saw that there was nothing saying we couldn’t get them out the way early and be done with them. So we’d carefully gone through the course catalogue and devised our own system. It had worked when I returned to campus after the break, I’d only have classes for my major or minor…or for fun. That held true for the rest of us as well. Well, not for Max. He took a ridiculously full course load of six classes every semester plus an entire metric shit ton of classes over the summer at a college near his home that Yale would actually accept the transfer of credits from. Then again, he had the most complex and difficult major set among all of us so it was perfectly understandable that he would have to do the most extra work. Max was also done with the bulk of his core requirements. But since many of the classes for his major were only offered every two or three semesters, he’d taken any of his major courses he had the pre-reqs for whenever he could.

The semester flew by and almost before I could blink, I was heading back to Lima for Christmas. James and I paid the fee to leave our cars in student parking and flew to Cleveland. Ms. Kay rode with us when James took me home to Lima. She wanted to be able to deliver Beth’s Hanukkah and Christmas gifts to her in person. Mr. Harvey was hosting Christmas for their entire clan at his home in Chicago, so we wouldn’t see each other until the twenty-seventh. He and I did have a long text session just the Sunday before Christmas. “Wanna party like rock stars with KAMA on New Year’s Eve?” was the text I’d received not long after I’d gotten a picture of Kev and Patrice and Dev and Tonya in front of a caravan of cars with the caption ‘Driving into the next sunrise’.

James texted me immediately to ask if I was going. I replied that of course I was going. I knew my soul sister and the stepmother of my child. If she had to go and we weren’t all at school…we were all going to be going. We all knew that. It was so cute that James still believed that he actually had a choice. When I sent him a text stating as much, he sent me a wild eyed emoticon. Then he sent me a picture of his laughing face. I texted him back wondering at the laughter. His response was ‘just pictured the hell Mercedes would rain down on me if I did try to say no’. I sent him a proud smile and told him that he was finally understanding the way the crew rolled.

Unfortunately, I wouldn’t have very much to smile about for the rest of that afternoon. Frannie had managed to convince me to give Mother a chance to explain her reasons for all that happened. Apparently the chaplain at the prison felt that Mother had reached a point where she understood that she was entirely wrong and was desperately seeking forgiveness. Chaplain Rudolph had even made the reservation for us since that was the only way to be able to visit. We’d gotten there an hour before our reservation time. I think Frannie was assuming that it would take forever to get through the security checkpoint. But we locked our purses and phones and coats in her trunk so it wasn’t as if they had a whole lot to search. So we got to sit and wait.

To kill some time, I told her about the New Year’s Eve party Mercedes to which was taking all of us. She told me that she was going to a party at the Drake Hotel in Chicago with a bunch of friends from Ann Arbor. As she was talking she got a wicked grin on her face. “Wait right here.” She giggled. My sister went over to the guard and asked very politely if she could run out to the car. She assured the uniformed woman that she would go through all the security checkpoints again without a word of complaint. Frannie was gone for maybe fifteen minutes. When she got back her smile was even bigger. “When we leave here…we’re going to go shopping and get some great outfits for New Year’s Eve. All thanks to Daddy.” She said happily. “I talked to Mr. Patterson and told him about our plans and he called Russell and by the time we leave here, there should be another five thousand available on each of our cards for us to get all decked out as befitting a Fabray heiress.”

“So…after this Saks?” I asked a little too brightly.

“After this…Saks.” She agreed.

We talked for a while about what all we were going to get and if Frannie’s friend Marshall, was just a friend or possibly more. Of course, that line of conversation led to Frannie interrogating me as to how serious James and I were and if I saw him as being my forever man or not. Eventually she got me to confess that I was in love with James, but honestly I was scared as hell of a forever kind of love. Not because he wasn’t worthy or capable…but because I was pretty sure that I wasn’t. We started talking about the fact that I’d had only the court ordered six months of counseling and I would probably benefit from seeing someone and talking through those issues. Before we knew it, the guard was calling us up for our visitation. The room we were shown to wasn’t very big. It was set up kind of like an elementary school cafeteria, just with no kitchens or milk stations…and ya know with armed guards. Mother was already seated at a table. We were shown to two seats across from her. We weren’t allowed to touch her but I wasn’t there yet anyway.

I looked her over and it was interesting to see how she had been fairing without botox and access to spas and salons. Her nails were ragged and lackluster. I soon realized why. She bit them. A habit I’d been ridiculed and harangued about incessantly until I finally broke myself out of it shortly before my seventh birthday. Her once perfectly golden blond hair was a boring sandy to dirt blonde color and shot through with more gray than I’d ever realized she possessed. Her skin was showing her age in unfilled fine lines and even wrinkles. It was dry and her lips were chapped and showed signs that she’d previously used collagen or something…because they were even thinner and more drawn than I’d even seen them…even when she was angry. She’d also gained weight…at least twenty maybe even thirty pounds. “Mother.” I said in greeting.

“Lucy, you look very lovely. That sweater makes your skin glow. But really, Darling…denim?” she asked looking over my teal, boat neck cashmere sweater, slim cut jeans and the brown walking boots I’d donned earlier that day.

“Well, Mother, I actually had a hard time deciding on what the done thing was when visiting the Ohio Reformatory for Women…so I went with modern fashion choices rather than something more classically cut.” I said icily. I should never have come. “I will note, if I ever have to visit another person in prison that having to suffer the indignities of searches just doesn’t hold a candle to presenting one’s self in a traditionally WASPish way.”

Frannie sighed. “Mother…we came because your Chaplain called and said that you had changed and wanted our forgiveness. Criticizing QUINN when she looks great and she really didn’t have to come…is not a great way to start.”

Judith started as if slapped. She was definitely not used to Frannie standing up for me let alone speaking to her in that cold tone of voice. She tried to look contrite. For a moment I couldn’t help but wonder if her facial expressions had always looked so contrived, or if her muscles had gotten so used to trying to force movement against botox induced paralysis that now they just didn’t know how to work with free movement. “You’re right. That was definitely not the correct way to begin to ask for your forgiveness. Thank you for coming to see me. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been attending services regularly and there are counseling sessions and I now understand that I never should have put my creature comforts above my duties as a mother. I should have protected you and your innocence more carefully. I should have found a better way to encourage you to live a healthier lifestyle. I should have helped you learn to love yourself more and love the opinions of others less. It was wrong of me to treat you as if you were less than Frannie just because you looked so different from her and I.”

I could only nod. I looked at her and I could only nod in agreement with all the things she should have done differently. “You know…there was a time in my life when hearing you say all of that would have made a world of difference. But now, I don’t care that you listed all the done me wrongs…I just want to know why? Why did you make me feel like I was worthless? Did it make you feel better, more, special?”

“No.” she stopped me. “I felt as if I was failing you. I felt that it was my fault that you were fat and had such a wide, misshapen nose. The other mothers at the club would always make me feel so pathetic and horrible. I couldn’t give my husband the son he needed. Never mind that Russell was perfectly happy with you two and was enjoying the thought of raising his two daughters to break balls and take names. You have no idea how often I had to fight him to get him to allow me to teach you the things young ladies truly need to know.”

Frannie and I looked at each other. “I kind of think I would have liked to know how to break balls and take names.” She told our mother incredulously. “I have no intention of being a stay at home wife and mother. There is nothing wrong with women who chose to be…but I’ve never wanted that. I’d lose my mind with boredom.”

“What boredom? There are luncheons and fundraisers to plan and it is very hard work to make sure that you have the right post on the right committees. You have no idea how hard it was to claw my way to the top of the women’s association at the country club. Had we stayed at Shawnee, the title would have been mine by right. Your grandmother was the lady of the glen for years, but your grandfather just had to change over to Lost Creek when Shawnee opened its membership to people of color. As if that matters in the grand scheme of things. As long as they are wealthy enough to associate with or come from the right families, gays and people of color always make parties so much more fun.”

I rolled my eyes. Yeah Kurt, Blaine and Mercedes all want to be accepted because they make parties better. Still she continued blathering about how hard I had somehow made her life by not being born the perfect Barbie doll I’d eventually forced myself to become. For the next hour and a half I listened as I realized that the answer to ‘why my mother had hated her youngest daughter’ became more apparent than it ever had been to me before. Because the truth was that she only loved herself. She could kind of love Frannie because she was Mother’s Mini-Me. there was just nothing left for a chubby, awkward, imperfect me. Finally, I looked at Frannie and saw in her eyes the same realization I’d just come to. “Mother,” she interjected. “You don’t want our forgiveness. You want your house back.”

“Of course not, Frannie. I want us to have a better relationship. I want you to forgive me and we can be a family for real when I get released at the end of March.” Judith said with what I believe was supposed to be a warmly apologetic smile.

“Really…because you’ve talked for two and a half hours without ever saying that you’re sorry or expressing any kind of reasonable remorse or demonstrable accountability for your actions.” Frannie told her with brutal honesty.

I nodded in agreement again, that time with my sister. “Yes, and neither one of us is Dumbledore…we know better than to believe someone is redeemed if they don’t regret their actions in the first place.” I said calmly. Realizing the metaphor, I’d just utilized I sighed to myself. “Maybe I’ve spent a little too much time with Mercedes, but the point is still valid. You are trying to make us reconsider the fact that we have a restraining order in place that makes sure that you cannot step foot into the house you consider yours…even though it belongs to us. Well sorry, no go. I understand that Daddy has continued to pay your alimony the entire time you’ve been in here. That should give you a nice little cushion to find somewhere to live and until you can get a job.”

“A job?” she asked as if I was telling her to scrape out a septic tank with her bare hands. “I can’t get a job. What on earth would make you say such a thing?”

“Mother, you do have a college degree, Granted it’s in contemporary English literature. But I’m sure that you are at least qualified to be a barista at a Starbucks.” Frannie’s voice contained more sarcasm than I thought possible. She really hated Mother’s antiquated and basically trophy wife way of thinking.

“Yes, but I’m an ex-convict.” She said with a sigh. “Quinn, I’ve seen the young man you were dating before your senior year. As a black male, I’m sure that he can tell you the impossibility of finding a job when one has a record.”

“Wow…really…that’s where you want to go?” I was shocked and appalled and just pissed the fuck off on James’ behalf. “A…James doesn’t have a record. His father received a damn Purple Heart for sacrificing his life for this country. His mother works to support veterans and their families. His great-uncle is a comedian, talk show host, author and radio personality. Did you think that just because he is black he comes from a long line of criminals or something? You know the Joneses…none of them have ever been to jail either. News flash, Mother, the reason there are so many black people in jail is because they are more likely to be arrested for crimes even though they don’t commit any worse crimes than their white counterparts. They are usually given harsher sentences for the same crimes. They are disproportionately tried as adults for the same crimes and most of the time they can and often are only convicted because they are too poor to buy their justice the way a lot of white people do.”

“Lucille…You can’t call them black people like that. You should call them African Americans.” Judith chided. I rolled my eyes. Of course, she missed the point entirely and just latched on to the easy ‘solution’.

I shook my head. “Mother, don’t tell me what to call people that I know a hell of a lot better than you.” I shot back. “Look, I’m done here. Russell has expressed more remorse than you have. I only came today because Frannie pointed out that we owed it to ourselves to find out if you’ve really changed. If you really were sorry for you neglect and disdain and the fact that you were kind of a crappy parent and pimped me out just to keep yourself in botox and gel nails. If you regretted forcing a wedge between the two of us just to punish me for not being your perfect little clone. So when you get out, contact Attorney Patterson at the Patterson and Estes Law Firm and he will let you know where you can find your clothes and furniture from the house. Now, if you don’t mind, I think we’re going to go. We both have New Year’s Eve parties to get kitted out for.”

“Yup, Saks is calling our names Mother.” Frannie said quietly. “I wanted to believe that you were sorry. That you were different. But Lucy is right. You haven’t changed and you don’t want to. Daddy is working extra just to have enough money to try and buy our forgiveness. You can’t even say you’re sorry. I used to look up to you…but you aren’t worth looking up to. You’re pretty damn pathetic.”

We walked out of that visiting room with our heads held high. There would be people who wouldn’t understand. There would be people who couldn’t understand. I hoped most people would have no frame of reference for having to excise a family member like one would remove a cancerous tumor. Frannie and I left there and I gave her the option to go shopping another time. I knew that she’d always been close to our mother, the day had to have been so much harder for her than it had been for me. But my big sister insisted that we should go and engage in some retail therapy. Somehow she managed to convince me to let her pick out my dress or whatever. Of course, I demanded equal treatment…so I would pick out hers. We stopped first for a late lunch, checking to make sure that the money was available while we ate. Once we confirmed that not only was the requested amount there and available, but Russell had given half again what Frannie had asked him for, we hit Saks hard. We shopped for almost an hour, making each other try on dresses we knew we’d never wear. It was all kinds of hilarious. Then we finally got serious.

It didn’t take a whole lot of time, once we got serious to find each of us a perfect dress. I let Frannie talk me outside my comfort zone a little, though she let me get the Herve Leger, cold shoulder, bandage, mini dress in a great shade of bright blue that always made me feel beautiful and confident, no matter what Lauren thought of my love of the color. Actually considering how strong and bold the cobalt blue dress actually was, Zizes probably wouldn’t object to it. I found Frannie a cool, silver and teal, lace popover dress that would hit her just an inch or so further down her sleek thighs than my own mini-dress did. With the biggest question answered, we went to find the fully necessary, even though maybe we already had some that would go with the dresses well enough at home, new shoes. After very little discussion, we decided that since we’d excised Mother from our lives, we could also drop her ‘classic designers are the best and only new money gauche buffoons wore Louboutins or Jimmy Choos’ ideals…apparently trophy wives of a certain age only wore Blahniks and Gucci…I’d wanted a pair of Louboutin stilettos since before Babygate. I got them that day. A pair of sparkly, silver, red bottomed heeled pumps that made me feel like the queen of the universe. Then we found Frannie a pair of silver, Choo, T-strap sandals that would totally necessitate a trip to the spa before she went to her party.

We hit Victoria’s Secret next. Frannie’s dress would support any and all lingerie, so it took us no time to find her a pretty pastel aqua set that would look good if she decided to show them off. With the deep neckline of my dress and the fact that the shoulders were slightly thicker than spaghetti straps, I’d have to be very careful I literally had to try on each bra with the dress. Ultimately I found a bra that worked beautifully. It was almost the exact same color as the dress, it’s straps were thin but not so thin they would be annoying and it gave me an extra two cups of size thanks to the padded lining. Given how tight the dress was, I had to get the briefest, smoothest thong they had in the right color. Then we headed to Andrews Jewelers. Andrews was typically mall jewelry store…usually only located in higher end malls and shopping plazas. It also had the distinction of being part of both mine and Frannie’s stock portfolio. We shopped there whenever we could simply because we felt like buying things there was really a good long term investment in our own future.

I’d spent roughly twenty-one hundred dollars at Saks on my dress, shoes and clutch. Another two hundred dollars at Victoria Secrets on lingerie and makeup…then I blew almost a full six thousand on several pieces of blue topaz and aquamarine jewelry that would look amazing on New Year’s Eve and also work well with several different wardrobe pieces that I already owned. I thanked goodness that I’d gotten all my Christmas gifts early and was playing with unexpected money for the most part. I’d been saving up for my part of the down payment we’d need for the house James, our roommates and I would begin looking for after the holiday, so I hadn’t been shopping in quite some time. That may have been why I went a little overboard. Then again, it also could have simply been that I was having one of the best times I could ever remember having with my big sister. As we were finally heading back to Lima, I raised a subject we’d both been avoiding. “You know…we gave Judith a chance to explain herself and she hasn’t expressed one iota of remorse. Maybe it’s time that we sit down with Russell and give him the same opportunity.”

We talked about it the whole why home. Deciding how the meeting would look, where we’d have it? He couldn’t come to the house, but there was no way any of us wanted to have that conversation in public. I wanted to go ahead and get it out of the way so that we could enjoy the rest of our holiday either as situational orphans, or ready to work on a reconciliation with our father. Frannie wanted to wait until after the holiday and give ourselves the pleasant memories before ripping the scab off the wound. “Come on Frannie…you’re training to be a shrink…avoidance is never a good thing. I say we email Russell and ask him to get us a private room at the country club. We can have lunch or dinner in solitude and talk this shit out. Because you know what as bad as it hurt me what he did to me…he still hasn’t come close to fucking up my mind as much as Judith did.” I said honestly.

I didn’t know how to explain it outside my own head. The only person other than Russell and I who knew everything…only person I’d told all that I knew about what had gone on was James. I’d shared all that I was with him, every secret that I possessed and he still looked at me with love and trust and an inherent belief that I was a fundamentally good person. He was the one who had gotten me to agree to go with Frannie to give Judith the chance to explain herself. He’d reminded me that knowing was better than questioning. I wanted to know why. I now knew why Judith hadn’t loved me. She wasn’t capable. But she had never loved me. She paid lip service to loving me, but it had been a long time since I’d been able to believe that lie. I’d always been so sure that Da-Russell did love me and cared for me. I had to know how he could do what he did. It was time for the weeping, festering, gaping hole in me to be healed. For that to happen, I’d need to expose it to light and truth.

Russell was…he was quick. We met him for a late lunch the very next day after church. His greeting was a lot warmer than Mother’s though he was very careful not to touch us or compliment us on our appearances. As soon as we were shown into the small private dining room at the club, I could tell he had been there for a little while. He was pacing, though I didn’t see his usual scotch. I found that surprising. “Girls…thank you…thank you for giving me a chance. I…I cannot even begin to find the words to tell you…how just damn sorry I am. I don’t know when I started to lose my mind, but I must have been crazy to hurt you the way I did, Quinnie. I know that what I did to you was worse than any physical harm I could have caused. I’ve been seeing a therapist since I was arrested. He feels that being born into such a privileged background and then attaining more wealth and success on my own at a comparatively early age…gave me something of a God complex. I started to believe that I was above things like rules or consequences. Then as I started to do more and more things that went against the rules and the laws and just simple morality and I didn’t get into any trouble for it…that just proved to me that I could do whatever I wanted to do without reprisals. I got deeper and deeper into the most depraved things I could find. It became…I don’t know, a sick compulsion. Even ruining your world wasn’t the sickest thing I did. Maybe that was only true because you were already pregnant…but never the less. By that point I’d begun doing coke again…I hadn’t touched it since college. Quinnie...I don’t know who it was that chose to avenge my sins against you by having me arrested…but they saved me. They saved my life. David…left me to detox in jail. It was hell, but it showed me what I’d become, what I had done to myself. Then when he finally got me out, he explained exactly the hell I’d put you through and how he wasn’t going to let me put you through anything else. I took the plea which David made sure included intensive counseling…I think if he could have, he’d have seen me committed.”

Frannie and I looked on in shock. I wasn’t sure what we’d been expecting to hear that day…but Russ-Daddy opening his chest and pouring his heart out hadn’t been it at all. “I’m going to be honest with you. When I realized how messed up I’d gotten, how I’d willfully gone against my place as a father. I got quite depressed. I’m on medications now…but my first six weeks at Marion, I was on twenty-four hour self-harm watch. I’m sure that the guards and inmates all thought it was because I couldn’t deal with loosing face or my reputation or whatever. I made a few attempts, but my therapist had a theory as to why I wasn’t successful. He thought that was that I was considering suicide only because I thought that, somehow, that may have made things easier on you, Quinnie. I thought that it could show you that I was sorry. I wasn’t successful because I wanted to make things better but while I hated my actions, I was in no way ready to lose my life. He also thought that I held back from actually doing myself in because I feared that you’d just assume the same thing as the people at the prison. So I did my best to figure out what I could do to make you know that I truly regretted my actions. That I would never, ever, ever look at you or touch you or even think of you inappropriately again.”

“But Frannie…” I challenged. He’d scared her too. Hadn’t he?

Russell nodded. “I have to say Francine wasn’t as much of a temptation for me as you were. I don’t know why. I don’t understand it. You are both very beautiful, very similar girls. But Quinnie, you’ve always had such a fire inside you. I’m not sure that Frannie would have survived her youth if Judith had treated her the way she’s treated you, Quinn. There were a few times that I looked at you longer and wrong, Frannie…but I never became so wrong…so disgusting with her.” He stated quietly. “I think part of that was that Frannie always reminded me so much of Judith. By the time Quinn was ten, I hated your mother in a way that is simply unhealthy. Quinnie…she was always mine. You always were the one of my two daughters that reminded me the most of myself.”

“Okay…two things. Why did you hate Mother so much and then why did you stay with her if you hated her so much?” Frannie asked him distractedly. She was thinking on something hard…a lot harder than me. But then again, psychology was her area of expertise. Probably Da-Russell was something of an interesting case study for her right now.

Russell shrugged. “The answer to both questions is the same. The way she treated you two girls so differently. I may have seen more of myself in Lucy, in Quinn…but I never treated you two differently when you were little other than taking up for Quinn when your mother got too ridiculous. I hated her for her favoritism. But if I had divorced her, she would have had custody of the two of you and there would have been no one to let Quinn know that she was important too.” He took a long drink of the water from his place setting.

“So…why…what made you change? What made you capable of what you did to me?” I asked him searching his face as if that could give me the answer. Maybe it did. He looked as if he really and truly hated himself. I liked that. I hated it too.

“When you started morphing into Judith, I didn’t say anything. I did whatever I could to make you happy. To give you two the kind of mother daughter relationship you’d been wishing and hoping for since you were a toddler. I started drinking more heavily. Then I got back into doing cocaine recreationally. By the time you got pregnant, I was doing blow daily. I was drinking even more heavily and even doing speedballs. I was so full of myself and so sure that I was the most important being in the universe. It’s not an excuse…there is no excuse for what I did. But I hope and pray that if I hadn’t been coked out more often than not, if I had been in my right mind, I never would have even thought of looking at either of you like I did, let alone doing what I did to Quinnie. I’ve been off everything since my arrest. I haven’t had a drink or looked at anything heavier in two years.”

Frannie and I exchanged long looks. This was what had been missing in Mother’s ‘apology’ remorse and actual change. “We…I’m, I can’t speak for Quinn, but I’m willing to start trying to rebuild a relationship with you.”

I took a dreap breath and a drink of water of my own. “I can’t…I won’t allow you contact with Beth. You will still go through the lawyers to give her birthday and Christmas gifts as you have been. But you and I can start communicating without going through Mr. Patterson.”

“It’s more than I deserve.” Daddy said with a happy smile on his face. “Now, I’ve been dying to know how you’re enjoying Yale. How are things going in your life? I can see on the entertainment news shows that you are still close with the little Jones girl and the Puckerman boy. Who else are you still talking to from high school? Frannie…how are things going at Ann Arbor? You should be almost finished with your masters, are you planning on staying there for your doctorate? Are either of you seeing anyone? Tell me all about them?”

So we talked. Over the next three hours, we told Daddy all the things that he’d missed. Frannie talked about the fact that she was actually getting ready to start applying to doctoral programs. “Stanford, Yale and Columbia are my top three picks. Yale and Columbia to be closer to Quinn. Stanford because it is the best.” She told us with a big smile. “Once I have my PhD, it will be on to either Harvard or Johns Hopkins or Perelman at the University of Pennsylvania for my Psych MD.”

“If you get into Yale, you can join me and James and our roommates. We’re planning on buying a place off campus and renting it out to other people after we graduate. That can give you a stream of revenue during your residency.” I smiled at the thought of living with Frannie again as actual sisters rather than just two people who sort of shared the same parents. Daddy asked a ton of questions about our plans and the steps we’d already taken to finding a house to buy. I answered them all and told him about how much James and I had both lucked out in the roommate lottery. I told him about meeting that dick McIntosh and the ensuing harassment and how Victor had helped to finally end the drama.

Then I listened as Frannie bemoaned the fact that she just hadn’t found any guy worth dating more than a few times. She told Daddy that she was totally jealous of the people I’d built relationships with, most especially James. Not that she wanted my boyfriend…just a guy of her own who was just as good. Then we all chuckled as she said she definitely needed to stop dating trust fund babies. She talked about the friends she’d made at college, because she hadn’t really been close to the people she hung out with in high school. She was really only close with a few of her sorority sisters. Then it was my turn. I told him about the last two and half to three years of my life. I talked to him about the Joneses and how much they loved me and treated me as another daughter. How Mama Dani still called me at least three times a week just to check in. I’d told him how I hated having to miss Devon and Kevon’s graduation to go and let Mother mess with our heads once again. But everyone had been adamant that I go. We’d all thought that it was going to be something different…something that would give me and Frannie our mother back.

I told him all about James and how long we’d been seeing each other and how much I loved him and how he got along with all my friends. I told him about the close friendship we’d built with our eight roommates and heck, I even told him about how I’d agonized over what to get James for Christmas. I was still very scared of committing to him on a forever basis…but at the same time I dreamed of doing so. Ultimately, I’d gotten him a Nixon black faced, black leather banded watch. It was a gorgeous and slightly expensive watch. It spoke of me wanting more time with him and it, hopefully, told him that the next step was a more permanent piece of jewelry. Maybe in the fall for our anniversary. If the therapy that Frannie insisted I needed, helped me get over my issues.

Daddy shook his head. “I should have gotten you into counseling when you were younger. Part of the reason you feel you don’t deserve his love, part of the reason you fear commitment…they have nothing to do with you being a survivor of rape…and everything to do with you being a survivor of your childhood with your mother. She undercut your belief in yourself at every stage of the game. What I did certainly didn’t help…but you should have had the confidence to be able to go to your mother for help. You should have known that she loved you and would do what was best for you. You couldn’t and didn’t. I’m sorry for that.”

I shrugged. “You have enough things to be sorry that were your own actions. You’ve been apologizing for Judith for my whole life. If I learned anything at all in the therapy I have done, it is that you can’t control anyone else’s actions. You can only control how you react to them. I am done reacting to Mother’s inability to love anyone other than herself. Even the love we always thought she had for Frannie, was only because in her mind Frannie was a perfect reflection of Judith. So…Daddy…other than detoxing and sobriety, what’s going on in your life?” I asked closing the subject of Judith for once and for all.

Daddy quickly took up the conversation mantle to tell us of a new commercial property project he was working on in Putnam county and one that he’d completed and recently sold off at an almost two hundred percent profit in Van Wert. He told us that he was only recently starting to try and date. He’d needed to get to a much better place psychologically than he’d been before he could start trying to date. He had purchased a nice, four-bedroom house in Sidney and sold his condo in West Dayton. He was having it decorated and would live there rather than staying here and there. He told us about how he had headed back to Mass and had sat through confession and completed the penance the priest had set forth for him. Which included volunteering with the Dayton area RAINN sexual assault hotline. “That was the hardest part. We could talk to these people but we couldn’t call and get them help. I only handled calls from male callers, because most of the women weren’t comfortable with male voices. God, Girls, there were so many more men callers than I would ever have believed. One kid couldn’t have been older than your friend Puck had to have been when that teacher raped him. And all I could do was talk to him and try and help him understand that he wasn’t at fault. It is never the fault of the person that is victimized. It is always the fault of the rapist…always.”

I didn’t understand why, but in that moment, hearing him state that it had been his fault as bluntly as he stated it…it loosened something inside me. As I felt a final death of something that had been holding me down, I felt tears on my cheeks. It hadn’t been my fault at all. It had been Daddy’s fault and he really was sorry. He really regretted his actions. He really did want us to have forgive us him with the admittance that it was all his fault. I felt relieved. I finally allowed myself to hear, understand and believe what everyone had been telling me all along, that it wasn’t my fault. I hadn’t done anything wrong. Even him saying so earlier that same day hadn’t done freed it. But I was finally free of that last thoughts that I’d done something to cause him to become so wrong and twisted. Frannie enveloped me in a hug. Daddy, in difference to our horrible past, just held my hands. He understood though. “It wasn’t your fault, Lucy. I’m so sorry for doing this to you. I’m sorry that I was such a rat bastard, but Quinn…it was never your fault.” He repeated over and over and over again. I probably would never fully trust him again. But that was okay, he would never fully trust himself again either. But finally, the real healing could begin.

We ended up having dinner rather than lunch, but it gave us time to figure out what our relationship could be. Frannie and I went home and Shelby, David, Frannie and I talked through the two very different meetings the two of us had had with our parents. The next day, the gifts Daddy had sent to us through Attorney Patterson had arrived. We joked about whether the size of them meant he’d purchased them when he was still trying to move us towards forgiveness, or in happiness at having been forgiven as we put them under the Christmas tree. We spent Christmas Eve in Columbus with David’s family. His mother loved the fact that Shelby allowed Noah and I and our significant others to be very much present in Beth’s life. The rest of his family treated us as if we were David’s other, adult aged, step daughters. The Hispanic family was loud and crazy but filled with the purest familial love I’d ever seen outside the Jones Family Gatherings. It was great. Mrs. Martinez…she gave me a beautiful, hand knitted afghan of the softest yarn I’d ever felt. It was a great design of blues and grays and it had my initials monogrammed in a bold, strong navy. I absolutely loved it. Frannie’s was just as gorgeous and soft though the colors were greens and creams. I’d gotten a list of names and ages from David after thanksgiving and Frannie and I had split it. We were able to get everyone a nice Christmas gift and each card said it was from Frannie and Quinn. Well, except for the ones to very small children, those said they were from Santa. It was one of the best Christmas Eve’s I’d ever experienced and the food was amazing. We woke in our beds on Christmas morning and we all went downstairs and opened our gifts around seven.

Everyone got some great gifts, but Beth had the best ones. Of course, that was exactly as it should have been. I was surprised that Daddy had overnighted both Frannie and I coats from the family fur vault. Frannie got Grandmother’s floor length white ermine coat and I received her calf length sable. He did include notes that we’d meet up after New Year’s so that they could be cleaned and returned…but he felt that we were old enough to wear them to our New Year’s Eve parties. We may have jumped and giggled like we were ten…but we could remember watching Mother get ready to go to the Christmas Gala or the New Year’s Eve Gala at the club and she’d always wear one of the furs. Never one to leave anyone out, he sent Beth a faux snow leopard fur parka and matching leg warmers and he’d even gotten Shelby a pretty, hip length, faux fur, hooded jacket. That was on top of the Little Squirt Playhouse with Sandbox, he had gotten the two of them for their original Christmas gifts. David laughingly said that Daddy had gotten him a boat load of work for the holiday.

The next day, Shelby, David and I took Beth over to Mercedes, Puck and Sam’s house…and it was the single biggest house I’d ever seen in real life. And that was saying something since I’d thought the biggest house ever was the house my father had grown up in. But MeDe’s house was a whole floor bigger. Nikki showed me and Shelby her and Beth’s room and quietly explained that Beth had a bed and some drawer space in both of Nikki’s rooms in New York too. The way she said it was really very sweet. Once Nikki was satisfied that we were happy with Beth, and her, space, we headed back into the living room to watch Beth open her gifts from that side of her very multifaceted family. She got some awesome gifts from everyone, tons of clothes and shoes and toys and…it was great to see how well loved she was. I’d already gotten my gift from Puck, MeDe and Sam…I was spending my spring break with my friends at South by Southwest, having a blast and enjoying the music and the company. On top of that I was having what was pretty much an all-expenses paid trip to New York for New Year’s Eve. Shelby and David freaked out for real when they opened their Christmas-slash-Hanukkah-slash-wedding gift of an all expenses paid trip to the Mango Bay resort and spa in Barbados. It was a great gift and they were going to really enjoy their spring break. I was really happy for them. And happy for MeDe, Puck and Sam…they would get to have both their girls together with them for a whole week.

When I saw our daughter and her sister next, they were dressed identically and both smiling and happy. It couldn’t help but smile. Thankfully the time without her and without James moved by faster than I would have thought possible. On Tuesday, Frannie left before me, she was driving to Chicago, stopping by her place in Ann Arbor to unload her car and pack for the two days she would spend in the windy city. All the New Directions that were still in Lima flew to New York all together. It was a really boss trip. The flight wasn’t very long and I was so happy to see James when I got to the baggage claim. “Peaches.” He shouted happily as soon as he saw me.

I threw myself into his arms. “James.” I breathed. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too.” He answered. “Uncle Steve and Cousin Tommy say I’m not allowed to come to any more family events without you because I was so mopey. They said that they didn’t even want to make fun of me…I was just too pathetic.”

“I didn’t have enough time to be mopey. Every time I turned around, I was experiencing some new emotional upheaval.” I groaned.

“Yeah, and you’ve earned a spanking. I cannot believe that you went and saw no good, prick of a son of a bitch without me.” he kissed me deeply, letting me know that despite all my assurances, he had been very worried about me.

“Papa Bent said pretty much the exact same thing when I told him about it. But if either of you had been there, you’d be in jail right now.”

“Okay…maybe that might be true. But I think he deserves it.” James challenged me with the truth.

We tabled the discussion as we had to grab out luggage and get to the car service that Hudson had arranged to get us from the airport to the brownstone. Even having lost the guest room in Commune and Klaine’s side, there were still enough pull out couches and everything else for all of us. Thankfully since James and I hadn’t been able to see each other for two weeks, everyone agreed that we should have a guestroom to ourselves. The first thing we did after making love, twice, was to exchange our Christmas gifts. James loved the watch I got him. And words couldn’t express how much I loved the Daisy Key pendant necklace he’d gotten me from Tiffany’s. We made love again before finally joining the crew in the family room on Commune and Klaine’s side of the house. Wednesday was spa day…which was always a ton of fun. There was a tiny bit of shopping, before we headed back to the brownstone to get dressed. I was a little bit leery of the fact that Darcy and I were wearing the same color and style of dress, though they were two very different shades. But that and the way she filled hers out made them look pretty much entirely different. Plus, her jewelry was sapphires, really gorgeous sapphires, which made her dress look bolder and my aquamarines and blue topazes gave my blue a slightly more teal glow. My hair was only shoulder length, so I had the stylist at the spa turn it into a short wavy mass that looked fun and flirty. We all rode together. James and I were one of the first out of the stretch hummer. In my fur, I looked like a million bucks. I heard people trying to figure out who we were. Their assumptions ranged from James being a football player and me his trophy wife to me being one of the non-twin Olsen sisters and him my bodyguard. It was really hilarious.

The night was absolutely wild. James had a long conversation with Drake and they even pulled Lil Wayne into it. I knew it was a mortal sin to say that a black man was more articulate than you expected. But Lil Wayne totally was. Not because he was black…but because he was a gangsta rapper. He was really cool though. When he wasn’t exchanging shots with Satan and Brittany, he was even willing to explain the history of marijuana’s illegality and why it was outlawed by a series of bogus laws. It was very interesting. I wasn’t sure that I would really agree with him, but he did put forth a really good case for legalizing the drug. I’d certainly never realized that it had less harmful effects than tobacco or alcohol. But the evening wasn’t just spent talking and getting to know new people. We also spent a ton of time dancing and hanging out with our beloved friends. I was also, finally, able to give Devon and Kevon the gift cards I’d gotten them for their graduation. I’d remembered their Christmas gifts, and forgotten their graduation gifts when I saw them the day after Christmas. All in all we had an amazing night.

Even though I had taken the advil and drunk the entire bottle of water that Hudson had pressed upon all of us as soon as we got back to Commune, Bartana and Klaine’s home, I was hungover as hell the next day. But it was made perfectly okay when Beth saw me and stopped playing with Robyn and Nikki to come over and give me a great big smooch on the cheek. Preschooler love was the cure to hangovers. Who knew. We all spent the whole first day of the new year bonding and talking and singing and laughing. It was exactly what I needed after the drama of the rest of the holiday. We all flew home on the second, Commune, Bartana and Klaine had to be back in the studio on Saturday. It was still quite surreal seeing what their lives had become. I was very much sure that the life they lived was pretty much a fun place to vaca…but not a life that I wanted to live myself. The flight back was cool, but James changed his ticket and flew back with us to Dayton. He did it just so he could go with me to return Grandmother’s sable. Daddy had given us the address to his new house…so I texted him and let him know that we’d rented a car and were driving to Sidney. When we arrived at the somewhat modest house, two of the most important men in my life finally met.

It was a very tense meeting. James was exactly respectful. “Mr. Fabray.” He greeted him. I’d never heard my father’s name actually sound like a swear word before.

“You must be Quinn’s James. I understand why you sound as if you hate me. But I am glad to meet you.” Daddy said calmly. I was a little surprised at his calm tone. James was just as big as Papa Bent…I’d seen the fear of Benton Jones in Daddy’s eyes at the picnic and I knew that he’d been scared of the gentle black man for years. 

“Quinn is sure that you’ve changed. That you truly regret all the bullshit you put her through. She doesn’t realize that coke…it can fuck with you…but it can’t make you into anybody you aren’t.” James hissed angrily.

I put my hand on James’ arm…calming him. Or so I hoped. Daddy just nodded. “Young man, you want to protect Quinn. You want to take care of Quinn. I hope that you can and you succeed in both of those things. Despite anything and everything I did to hurt her, and believe me that I regret it and I will carry the sorrow for causing her all the anguish and trauma that I caused, I still love both my daughters and all I want for their future is that they find better men, or women, better people than their mother or I ever were to love them and take care of them.”

“Peaches is determined to give you a second chance, she sees something in you worth saving. I’m not sure I believe that there is any good anywhere in any man who could rape his own daughter and we all know that rape by extortion is still rape. But I love her and I know that she needs one parent that she feels is about shit. Her mother is even more pathetic and worthless than you are. I don’t see how she could have ever been about shit and she wouldn’t know how to be a real mother if someone gave her a textbook with step by step directions. So I’ll support her in giving you that second chance…but you will never touch her in any way that makes her even the least bit uncomfortable. If you do, you will die. Either by my hand or those of Benton Jones…possibly those of Noah Puckerman…after all, your actions cost him his daughter. That’s not a threat. Any of the three of us are perfectly willing to go to jail for the pleasure of seeing to your demise.”

I was shocked at the fact that James clearly meant every word. Daddy just nodded. “It will never come to that and if it does, then I will write the suicide note and help to make sure that you giving me exactly what I would deserve for destroying my daughter a second time doesn’t cause her to lose the men in her life who love her and have never hurt her. By the same turn, if you hurt her…I’m fairly certain that Benton and I can cooperate long enough to make your death seem like a horrible and tragic accident.”

After that they seemed to reach some sort of accord. It was really almost weirdly sweet. We drove back to Dayton and got a room. Our lovemaking was special and wonderful. I could honestly say that cliché as it may have been if he proposed on Valentine’s Day…I’d say yes. When we checked out on Saturday, we drove back to Lima and spent the next two days with Beth and Shelby and David and Frannie before driving to Cleveland and spent two days with James family before going back to school on Wednesday.

Of course our roommates had all seen our initial pictures up from New Year’s Eve on our social media accounts. But it wasn’t until Wednesday morning that Darcy put up the special stream of pics she’d explicitly gotten our permission for before we hit the club the previous Wednesday night. Those and everyone’s reactions made our first few days back at school a trip and a half. By the time classes started on the twelfth, I was more than ready to see what the new semester was going to bring. I’d had a great year in twenty-fourteen and I couldn’t wait to see how two-thousand fifteen shaped up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be one part of a Chapter, however it went so long that I had the Quinn stand alone. 
> 
> The Tina & Saul section is already complete. There is a way you could have it as soon as Monday, September 19th...leave me enough comments to make it worth my while. 
> 
> That's it, just let me know what you liked and didn't. What offended you? What would you like to see next? Whose characterization is working your nerves? Do that and I'll post another 20-24 pages on Monday.
> 
> Think about it and let me know what you decide.   
> TTFN,   
> Anni


	8. Al Hanisim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tina & Uncle Saul & how they spend Hanukkah/Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories  
> The Learning French Series has now topped 2000 reviews!
> 
>  
> 
> To those who have asked about the previous chapter, Quinn moved so quickly to forgive her father because she, like so many children who are estranged from one…let alone two…they are often desperate for their parent’s to provide them with the love parents are supposed to give. She really wanted to believe that he loved her. And the thing was that Russell did love his daughters. His remorse was real and he was truly, really, completely sorry for his actions. He took full responsibility for his actions and made sure that she was absolved of any and all shame or guilt. She needed that. She will never trust him again or put him in a position where he could hurt her again…but she does want and need his love.

Tina PoV

Life with Mike was a completely different animal after we had our big blowout. DJ and Nevel were really happy with all the improvements that Mike had made for us because they made him a much better roommate too. The bossest thing was that since we’d all already had all the money in place for campus housing before we’d realized that we wouldn’t need it, we each got a big refund from the comptroller’s office a few weeks after classes started. It was enough to pay our rent and utilities for the whole semester. Rather than possibly, accidentally spending it or something, I’d sent in four months’ rent and paid enough extra on the water bill to put us three months of average usage ahead. I also took a small portion and sent it in to my student loan vendor to get ahead of paying back the loans I had. Besides it was just common sense not to keep the entire surplus just to have to repay it all plus interest later. Since we’d stayed in Cali over the summer, we made it our business to go home for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. For Thanksgiving, we flew into Dayton Tuesday evening and came back on Sunday morning.

For Christmas break, we took our exams as soon as we could, had a great cleaning party with DJ, Kimmy, Nevel and his current squeeze Connor, a tall, thin, pretty, Amer-Asian guy with hair even I was jealous of; then we loaded up Mike’s Leaf and made the long drive home. We made three overnight stops, spending the last night in Dayton rather than Lima as we’d done the year before. Mike and I didn't have the only relationship in his life that was greatly improved after that summer. He and his father had finally made it past their animosity to see the love they had for each other. It was a nice feeling to hear them talking to each other on weekly calls and finding common ground. Mike finally understood that his father wanted him to achieve the dreams his grandfather had held for his father and the fact that Mike was gifted in ways that Michael had not been had made Michael sure that those dreams would finally be realized. Michael hadn’t even considered that Mike may not have had the same dream until it was almost too late for their relationship. But they both now understood the other’s positions and they had gained back the respect that had been lost. It did help that Mike had stopped being a fence sitting little shit about things and stood firm instead. 

Over the break I found it kind of strange to have so very much free time. With us not living in the dorms and having spent the summer going to classes, studying and working, we’d tested ourselves by keeping our jobs into the semester. It took time management skills and dedication, but at midterms we’d all had high grades. Granted, Nevel and I couldn’t touch Mike and DJ’s over achiever grades. But not one of us had a B or lower so we were feeling pretty happy and proud. So we continued to work straight through, amazingly enough, our retail jobs had no problems with us taking the holidays to go home. I was scheduled to start back at B-G a couple of days after classes started back in January. I’d been able to save up enough and with my discount, I had actually managed to afford to get Mike something very special for Christmas. A holiday which we’d be celebrating a few days early.

My parents had hosted 'Christmas' the year before, which meant that it was my Aunt Gladys’ turn to host at her home in St. Louis. Since we were leaving the evening of the twenty-third and not returning until the day after Christmas, Mike and I were going to spend the twenty-second together. The parents were really happy because it meant we'd get to celebrate the last two nights of Hanukkah with the family. It was didn't usually happen that the two holidays overlapped so closely. Mike was planning something big for our date, though it to be honest, he wasn’t the only one. Mike and I had been home for about a week. We’d caught up with Quinn and Finn and Lauren and Vince. We’d had time with our parents and with each other. Mike had played basketball with Finn, Vince, Adams and Jake while Tessa, Lauren and I had let RJC and Quinn drive us insane at the mall. It had been a great week. We’d even met some of the underclassmen who’d joined the New Directions in our absence. I found that I really enjoyed getting to know Roderick probably the best. He and I sang a song together at the bowling alley’s karaoke station. His voice was perfect for singing Hozier. He was a nice guy, and Hell was going to have a ton of fun with him. At one point in the evening, she managed to corner him in a dark corner of the bowling alley and I’m pretty she’d gotten him to second base before the end of the night. That was good because as I understood it…their choirmates were really close to locking the two of them in a closet until he got the point that Helena wanted to ride him like a stallion. They were totally my second runner up young Directions OTP. My first runner up place went to Alistair and Spencer. Sorry but I loved the slash. Though even they weren’t my ultimate I want them together always OTP. From the second Tessa had told me that she and Joe were getting serious, I knew in my heart of hearts that they were destined for me to root for until they got married and had very religious, but pretty apathetic younglings.

Mike completely agreed with me on the whole Hartman ship…he had no opinion on Alicer and he completely disagreed with me on Helerick. He thought that Roderick and Helena would just be temporary couple not something long lasted. He’d spent karaoke talking with Jake about engineering and what kinds of grades he’d need to pull in order to get into the schools that offered the architectural engineering major and a had good business school. Jake was hoping to stick with with the same school Tessa went to, or schools in Atlanta or New York. He had taken the very mature view point of sticking with cities where he had family who could help him stay on track. He hadn’t found his person yet, so college for him could be a veritable smorgasbord that had the probability of getting a little too wild and crazy. Still, Jake was a New Direction and the sibling of one of the originals…he could go to school near any of Commune’s classmates and we’d all watch out for him. He was one of ours.

The weekend before Christmas we were invited to join the crew celebrating New Year’s Eve in a super swanky club in Manhattan. I was in before Mike could even text me to see if I was in. I mean, the trip wouldn’t really cost us much. Given the short notice, Cedes and her boys were handling our airfare and we would be staying with them. We would only be there for four maybe five days which would still give us a few more days with our parents before we had to drive back to Cali. It was a once in a life time experience and we were totally going. I had the perfect dress for it. Well, I would once I got to the B-G’s flagship store. I was kind of excited about it. Once everything was all hashed out, Mike texted me about our couple Christmas celebration. “I’ll pick you up Tuesday at twelve. We’ll have lunch at that RayRay’s place Lauren and Finn took us all to when we were in Columbus to record the Toys4Tots song…then we’ll explore the Town Center after we check into our hotel. We have dinner reservations at eight, not gonna tell you where but dress up. We’re going to be posh.”

“Will you be addressing me with an accent?” I teased. We’d seen a guy at Uncle Jesse’s club that had an awesome song that we just kept quoting whenever we could work the lyrics into our conversation.

“Maybe. Anyway…smart ass. You have a fabulous ass Tee-Baby. ANYWAY…Make sure that you are all packed for your trip to your aunt’s. You won’t have time to pack by the time I bring you home.” He warned.

Mike thought of everything. He was exactly on time and we chatted and laughed the whole drive to Columbus. Lunch was just as good as it had been with the entire crew plus some, if a whole lot quieter. We talked about the coming trip to Manhattan and the upcoming holiday itself. It was a great lunch. Then we went and checked into the Courtyard Marriot at the Easton Town Center. Mike had gotten us a king room and it was really nice. I kind of wanted to just make love, but Mike was on some shit about going out and looking around at the cool stores and seeing what we could day dream about getting and people watching. I did have to admit we had a blast making up back stories for the people we saw. We were strolling through the mall while they were all running around like maniacs. It was kind of hilarious. We got back to our room a little after five thirty and we sat on the bed making out just because we could until we needed to get ready.

I’d not had much direction on where we were going or anything beyond ‘wear something nice’ so I’d gone with a great Joie little black dress. In deference to the season, it was a sweater dress with long sleeves and a slouchy, cowl boat neckline. The dress screamed money, but I’d gotten it on sale and with my discount, so I’d paid less than a hundred bucks for a four-hundred-dollar designer dress. I paired the dress with a pair of Nine West heeled booties that Santana had found for me during the shopping spree I’d won the summer before freshman year. The ankle boots were gorgeous, black leather, with more leather overlaid to make a pretty pattern at the sides and a little silver buckle for just a little bit of shiny. After I took a shower, I rodded my hair for waves and volume. Then I took care with my makeup. I wanted to look sophisticated and mature not caked on or overdone. I’d learned tons of tricks every time we went somewhere with Cedes and had our faces done by professionals. I even learned a few that made my eyes pop. I used every one I could remember that night. In the end I was really pleased with the result. A little shimmer to open up my eyes, a barely pink cheek and a ruby red lip and I was looking incredible, if I did say so myself.

Once I was done with my makeup, including the setting spray and the wait on it to dry, I went out to my bags and let Mike have the shower. Only then did I ditch the robe and pull on the blue Natori feathers lace long line bra, matching garter belt, panties and some seriously sheer, silky black thigh high stockings. A pair of black footie socks were added before I pulled on my booties. I donned the jersey dress and as Mike came out and got dressed I took my curlers out and finger combed my tresses before running a wide bore brush through them. I released my bangs and brushed those carefully to bump them under. I looked great but there was still something missing. I dug through my makeup back to find the earrings I’d brought with me. The blue and silver Sorrelli Swarovski crystal graduated drop earrings were lovely, they brought my favorite color into my outfit and they were perfect. I added my silver ladies’ dress watch and of course I was wearing the Claddagh ring Mike had given me the year before. 

Even having started after me, Mike still finished dressing first. But I guess it was a normal thing. The only guy I knew who took longer to get dressed than his girlfriend was Finn. Lauren was pretty sure it was because he masturbated in the shower to try for more control later in the evening, but still the point stood. He looked great in a pair of charcoal slacks, a navy blue dress shirt and an almost black sports coat. I grabbed my evening purse, where I’d stashed Mike’s gift and I shoved my phone, lipstick and wallet inside and I was ready to go. The walk was nice…brisk but fortunately not too long. My black pea coat was warm, but it wasn’t any longer than my dress, my legs got cold pretty quickly. I would definitely be taking the long Michael Kors wool and cashmere coat I’d gotten at the outlet store the summer before college with me to New York. We arrived at Mitchell Ocean Club a few minutes before our reservation and were seated after only a short wait. The restaurant was really nice and as Mike had warned it was pretty posh.

For our appetizer, Mike and I shared a nicely done tuna roll. California had taught us to appreciate sushi and their spicy tuna, avocado and cucumber nori wrapped offering was much better than I was expecting to find in Ohio. For the soup or salad course both Mike and I went with the soup. My lobster bisque was a-mah-zing. But I had to give credit, Mike’s French Onion…topped with aged Swiss cheese was just a little bit better. Since I didn’t know how much Mike was wanting to spend and the prices were pretty ridiculously high for a couple of college students, I suggested that he order for me when it came to our entrees. I was happy when he ordered us the twin lobster tails to share. The entrée came with asparagus, which Mike substituted roasted Brussels sprouts for, and drawn butter. He added another side of steamed broccoli and we were both well pleased with our meal. I was a little surprised when he told, Ben, our waiter that we’d be having dessert and ordered me their warm butter cake which was served with fresh berries, vanilla ice cream and drizzled with a delicious raspberry sauce. He got himself the blueberry lemon cheesecake. As we shared our confections, Mike kept reaching into his pocket.

I put my fork down and grabbed my purse. I took the carefully wrapped ring case from the dark recesses and sat it on the table. “Michael Chang, Jr. I love you. I have only grown in that love for you as I’ve watched you grow and mature into the amazing young man that is sitting across the table from me in this ridiculously expensive restaurant. I hope to continue to grow in that love for years and years to come. You are one of my best friends. You hold my heart and I cannot put into words how much I pray that you’ll accept this gift as a token of my esteem for you and as a promise that one day the Chang in my last name will represent your family rather than the family that gave me to Mom and Dad to love and cherish.”

Mike’s smile was blinding. “I should be mad because you completely stole my thunder.” He said as he pulled out a beautiful diamond engagement ring. I squeaked loudly as my eyes locked on it. It was completely different from any ring I’d ever seen before. There were flowers and leaves making up the band. The leaves seeming to make small infinity symbols and the flowers were dotted with tiny, pave diamonds at the centers. There was a swirl of pave diamonds around what seemed to be a half or three quarters carat bright and shiny, glowing ball of diamond light that was acting as the center stone. “I love you Tina. When I’m perfectly honest with myself, I know that I’ve loved you since I watched you dancing next to me when Mr. Schue was teaching us how to do the moves for that old Vanilla Ice song.” I gasped. That was before I’d even started dating Artie. I didn’t think Mike had even noticed me that early in our relationship. He nodded and continued. “I remember it like it was yesterday. You were wearing those red leggings and your black boots and you had purply red streaks in your hair. You were beautiful and joy filled and just a gothic little Asian angel. You were strong in ways that I just wasn’t even with your shyness. I hid mine behind being a football player and you owned yours. Even if that meant making it even worse. At least you were true to who you were, I just kept trying to be who others wanted me to be. I knew then that you were my one. You were my person. You are the other half of my soul. I look in your eyes and I see my future. You’ve taught me to be strong. You’ve supported me when I wasn’t. You’ve taught me the beauty in vulnerability. So…will you be my wife in truth not just in spirit?”

“Gods yes, Mike.” I held out a shaky hand and he removed my Claddagh and replaced it with the beautiful engagement ring. It fit perfectly. I smiled as I pushed the Claddagh onto my right ring finger with the heart pointed towards my wrist. I was definitely in a deeply committed relationship. When Mike got his gift unwrapped and opened. He let me put it on his left ring finger. The black titanium and sterling silver ring had a deep channel in which sat two rows of pave white sapphires all the way around the band. The top of the band was sculpted to have recessed ‘vines’ all around it too. It was masculine and yet gorgeous. I don’t even know when Ben came back and wrapped up our desserts for us to take with us, but he had the bill waiting on Mike when we broke the kiss we’d shared to seal our engagement. He was quick an efficient in getting the bill and his tip settled and Mike and I bundled up and out the door. I noticed several of those tables nearest us smiling and giving us thumbs up and otherwise reminding us that we’d just gotten engaged.

I didn’t feel the cold at all as we hurried back to our hotel room. The second we were locked behind that door, Mike hefted me up against it, bared his cock and was deep inside me. I was wet and welcoming of his hard thrusting. Our kisses grew even more frantic as our dessert bag banged against his back and my own made repeated contact with the hotel room door. I’d never felt such a strong orgasm without foreplay before. I came with a long loud keening cry of completion that couldn’t even be drowned out by Mike’s accompanying roar. However as deliciously strong as those orgasms had been, neither of us was satisfied. Mike stripped me down to my garter belt, stockings and boots before divesting himself of his clothing and moving to join me in the king sized bed. Our lovemaking was frenetic and passionate. It was loving and it was glorious. It was also interrupted twice by hotel security. Thankfully once we explained and I showed them my engagement ring, each of the guards were satisfied that we were old enough and everything was consensual. Apparently, our neighbors were sure that my screams meant that I was being killed not pleasured. I didn’t actually manage to get completely undressed until the wee hours of the morning. Then it was to celebrate our engagement again with shower sex.

The next morning, we actually made the continental breakfast, then headed back to our room for one last celebration. We showered, dressed and made checkout by the skin of our teeth. Which put us back in Lima in just enough time for me to throw my overnight bag into my room, grab my carryon bag for the flight to St. Louis and us to share the news with our parents. I was a little surprised to see the Changs waiting with my parents. But Mike had, wisely, asked them to come over so we could share some news. Mike and I both held out our left hands to show off our rings, which actually went amazingly well together given they had been picked out completely separately. “We asked each other to marry us and we both said yes.” We told them in concert.

There was a little relief, though come to find out that was because with the two rings, for a second all four of our parents had thought we’d eloped. Then happiness crossed their faces. I had to admit to my own sense of relief then that both Julia and Michael Senior looked happy with Mike’s choice. I think that the last two years when we’d all seen each other’s love for the other and since we’d begun to really treat each other’s parents with the same respect we gave our own, the parents were more secure in the maturity of us and our relationship. We were ready for this level of commitment and they were as sure of that as we were. To be honest, I was pretty sure that if my mother and I weren’t leaving ten minutes later, she and Julia would have started wedding planning immediately. Even though Mike and I were still at the basking in our happy engaged-ness stage. Besides, we’d totally need some time to save up for the wedding of my dreams. And I’d need time to get Julia to the point that she could handle the wedding dress I’d probably pick.

After the happy news, we were in such a rush to get to the airport that Mike actually ended up driving us in Mom’s CR-V. I think Dad fell in love with my fiancé himself for saving him so much in airport parking fees. As soon as we got to Aunt Gladys’ house, I showed Rita my ring and she immediately called dibs for my matron of honor and for a flower girl spot for her little Jasmine. Which meant that I would end up with at least two flower girls, because I was already thinking of asking Shelby, Que and Cedes if Beth could be in the wedding. By the time the wedding came around, Nikki would be too old to be a flower girl. Maybe she could be a really young junior bridesmaid. I shook those thoughts off and just enjoyed the holiday with my family. We had a blast and Jazz loved her little LeapFrog play pad I’d gotten her. Rita loved the Bergdorf-Goodman gift card I’d gotten her. The best thing was that we were allowed to buy those with our employee discount too.

Rita never actually bought me anything unless I was there to try things on. Which I guess made sense our body types were very different. She was pretty tall and really thin. She had an amazing eye for color and she loved fashion, but until she saw me in the clothes, she couldn’t figure out which pieces would skate the ‘sexy’ line and which pieces would tip into inappropriate because I had curves she just didn’t have. So she had me up at six to hit Plaza Frontenac. After I told her about the coming group trip to Provocateur she’d decided that as her gift to me that Christmas, she was going to get me a really tricked out outfit for New Year’s Eve. She worked in Neiman Marcus corporate, which was technically BG’s parent company. According to her I wouldn’t be able to use my discount at Neiman Marcus, but it didn’t really matter. Hers was a hell of a lot better than mine, anyway. Still it wasn’t enough to bring the first dress that she saw that she swore was perfect for me, an Etro floral-print slip dress and button-front long cardigan that had pretty colors, but mainly red and blue in the black of the background into our price range. The whole outfit cost more than I would probably spend on my wedding dress.

She literally built a whole look in her mind. Down to the accessories. Since that wasn’t meant to be, she and I started to look a shorter dresses in black or black and red…Rita put the kibosh on blue dresses or black dresses with blue as the primary highlight color. “You wore so much blue from fifth to ninth I started to wonder if you’d been a Smurf in your last life. No Blue!” so we avoided the color all together. After all she was paying. I must have tried on thirty dresses before she took me back to the fifth one I’d tried on. It was a really cool, kind of funky, little bit retro Halston Heritage metallic jacquard black, mini dress with a really cool halter top and a kind of lower back. I didn’t have the right shoes for that dress. Like at all. Okay, well I did, but we found this great garnet red, satin, Michael Kors clutch that was on a really awesome sale and I decided that given the retro vibe of the dress, I’d do the whole matching shoes and purse thing. I didn’t find any that I liked at Neiman…so we tabled the shoe discussion and I grabbed a great set of silver bracelets. I paid for those myself. We checked out and I assured Rita that I would have time to find the last few pieces with the girls. I was really happy with our finds, and the ‘day after Christmas’ sale we’d been able to take advantage of plus Rita’s discount. I decided to treat Rita to lunch.

We quickly decided on the St. Louis Bread Company…which was actually just a Panera. We placed our orders. Both of us got the ‘you pick two’ with a soup and a panini. Rita got the vegetarian creamy tomato soup and the roasted turkey and caramelized kale panini while I went with the low-fat vegetarian garden vegetable soup with pesto and the frontega chicken panini. When we took our seats to wait on the food, Rita gave me a really weird look, “so, marriage at twenty, you sure you’re ready for that?” she asked me and again I found her tone of voice to be strange.

“Well, I’ll be twenty-two or twenty-three before I get to the actual wedding thing. Besides, Mike is my swan. We’re it for each other.” I gave her a long assessing look. “You’re always been my staunchest supporter in my relationship with Mike. What’s up?”

My beautiful cousin shrugged and started to tear up a napkin. “I still am…I guess.” She stammered. “You can see that there is some tension between me and Jeremy. You know how long we tried to get pregnant and how long the adoption process was supposed to take. Then we ended up with Jazz a lot sooner than we thought it was going to be. Turns out that he liked the idea of having a child but the actual truth of having one is more than he was ready for. His answer to that is that he is pretty much not changing his life at all. I had to do everything to pick out the things for her nursery. He hasn’t changed a diaper. He still works sixty hour weeks. The only thing he is willing to do is he will help me get her ready in the mornings. But even though the daycare center is on his way to work and out of my way, I have to take her every morning. I had to do all the Hanukkah shopping and Christmas is his holiday technically. But I had to go and get her something for Christmas too.”

I nodded. “Yeah, but Jeremy’s always been a selfish douche.” I said bluntly. I’d never really liked him. He wasn’t a bad person, per se, he just had many more moments of selfishness than I was comfortable with. “You said it before you ever got married. ‘Jeremy is a really sweet guy, he just doesn’t always put me first’. You were really sure that once he was a husband, he would change. Remember what I said to that?”

“You said that if I loved him…I’d need to accept that he was who he was and love him for that because people don’t change unless they want to.” She sighed. “I guess I thought that he would want to change.”

I shrugged. Before I could say anything, our number was called. I went and grabbed the food while it tried to figure out how to nicely say what I wanted to say. I still hadn’t figured it out by the time I had everything set out. “Yeah, so why would he need to change? It sounds like you’re allowing the selfishness…the lack of parental assistance. He’s been getting away with not treating you like you matter for years. Remember when he went on that weekend vacation with his brothers and didn’t even ask you beforehand if you minded…he missed your birthday. If you didn’t explain to him that things needed to be different then, why would he change now? A very wise woman told me that ‘relationships are a balance of respect, trust and love…you remove any one of those, and the other two are not going to be enough to fully sustain it’. He claims to love you. We both know that he can trust you…but he doesn’t respect you. You have a choice now. You need to make him learn to respect you. Or decide if you’re done.”

“How the hell am I supposed to do that?” she asked quietly.

I smirked. “We could always see if Gabe will come up from at Atlanta and put the fear of God into his ass.” I said referring to our third cousin who was a six foot seven left tackle with the Atlanta Falcons.

Rita laughed. “He just might. When I had to go down there for work, I took Jazz with me because we were staying at his house and he told me to bring her. I swear he took care of her whenever I was in meetings or whatever. He is gonna make some girl a great husband.”

“Yeah well, he was raised right.” I giggled thinking of Sam’s love of that phrase. “You just need to sit Jeremy down and let him know how you are feeling. If he cares he’ll listen. Mike and I went through a serious rough patch over the summer. He was taking me for granted and not respecting and appreciating me.” I gave her the whole story. I admitted to my own shortcomings…one of which was not saying anything when things were really bothering me until I was full on pissed. “So he’s just living his life the way he wants to. Maybe he doesn’t even realize that you want and need more from him than he is giving you now.”

She looked over at me with a big, if wry, smile on her face. “You know, I’m the elder cousin. You’re supposed to be coming to me for boy and relationship advice.”

I shrugged. “I guess I just have that Asian wisdom thing going for me.” I shot back.

Rita rolled her eyes. “Please…being genetically Asian doesn’t mean you have inherited the cultural wisdom. I’m genetically Jewish…am I automatically good with money?” she stopped and shook her head. “Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best example.” We shared a long laugh. Then we realized how late it was getting and we rushed to get me back to Aunt Gladys’ house so Mom, Dad and I could make our plane. Mike was waiting for us at the arrivals gate and he drove us home…I don’t know who wanted to kiss him more…me or my dad. Daddy hated highway driving. It bugged him that people drove so fast and merged or changed lanes without their signals and everything. Nothing bothered Mike and he was a great driver too.

We got home with enough time to change and grab something from the only Jewish Bakery in Allen County before hitting the Wyndham for our New Directions Holiday Pot Luck Extravaganza. It was a blast. Me and Mike weren’t even the only people there sporting some serious new hand jewelry. I was glad for everyone. Which kind of made me feel bad that I hadn’t been as happy for Cedes as I should have been. It wasn’t that I was jealous of her relationship or anything crazy like that. It was just that Mike and I had been together a lot longer than they had. I wanted that level of just automatic, visible commitment. Now that I had it, I was happier than I ever thought possible. Of course, we couldn’t have a New Direction gathering and not sing. So when I got the mic I dedicated my song to all the love we all shared and our respective maturing relationships. Then I belted out Natalie Cole’s ‘Everlasting Love’. I loved happy love songs. I may have cried…but I finished singing so I counted that as growth. Then Santana dragged me back up a little while later to sing with her. It was absolutely perfect, until Mercedes and Unique got up and sang their asses off. Oh well, that’s why KAMA’s already getting written up in Forbes rather than just Entertainment Weekly.

Sunday, I don’t think I rolled over until like three that afternoon. My mother, however, she wasn’t just up, she had gone out and gotten every bridal or wedding planning magazine that she could find anywhere in the tri-state area. When I finally got up, brushed my teeth and headed downstairs, I found her sitting in the den, with her laptop open on the coffee table trying to create a ‘definitive planning list’. “Mom…I’m so positive that Mike would definitely agree with me when I say that we are not getting married for at least two years.”

“I know…But…I…look at all the pretty dresses, Tina. I have to know what things cost so I can begin to plan. And I have to plan so I can save up enough to get you ‘the dress’.” she gave me a huge smile and patted the couch next to her. I was surprised to see that she had googled ‘designer red wedding dresses’. My mom was an awesome mom.

I sighed and went for a distraction. “So, what do you and Daddy have planned for New Year’s Eve?”

Mom shrugged. “Well, we don’t really have much planned. Probably relax at home. Though, your friend Blaine’s parents did invite us to a party at the Shawnee Country Club.”

“You guys should go. You won’t have work the next day. You never get out all that much and Blaine is awesome, so I’m sure that his parents are cool too.”

“Oh, I don’t know. What would I even wear?” she sighed.

I rolled my eyes. “You can either wear the dress I wore to Cedes, Sam and Puck’s record release party or you could wear that really cute…” I stopped myself. Mom definitely couldn’t wear the dress I’d worn the night Mike and I got engaged. I thought quickly. “Have you worn that teal dress I got you for your birthday last year…the one with all the ruching and the cowl back neckline?”

Turned out she didn’t she and I had a blast going through her closet and finding the perfect shoes and accessories to complete the outfit. Of course, our conversation as we looked led to my admitting that I didn’t have all I needed to go to Provocateur. So I showed her the dress and the purse and she laughed. “You are going to love me.” She dragged me back to her room. Digging through her closet she pulled out the small safe in the very back hidden behind the dirty clothes hamper and a tower of shoe boxes. she opened it with a deft hand and soon she was holding up a diamond and ruby heart within a diamond heart necklace. “Gladys gave me this when she won that really big bingo night a few years back. When I was in Miami at that conference, I found these.” She reached back into the recesses of the safe and pulled out a pair of sterling silver threader earrings with good sized ruby drops. “You can borrow these, take a picture and show your Aunt Gladys that I still have it, will you? She’ll love that. Anyway, you can borrow those and all you’ll need is some shoes.”

“Well, I already loved you…but you’re right. I love you.” I laughed merrily.

The rest of the day flew by. Mom and Dad both had to work Monday and Mike and his mom were spending the day together which was totes adorbs. I had a great idea. After a quick texting session with Cedes, I called her favorite colorist, Lamar, and he was cool with working me in. I left his chair with great honey blond highlights and the softest, most manageable hair I’d had since the last time I went to that spa in New York that Cedes loved so much. We had a great time laughing and chatting while he worked. And I, finally, knew how Cedes always had the best gossip.

Tuesday, I woke up early enough to have breakfast with my parents. My dad had a half day that day and Mom was doing a telecommute day. Since she didn’t have to get dressed for real, she always started those days early. Around lunch time, all the New Directions in our graduating class and Vince’s sister Netta met up at the Hudson-Hummel home. From there a car service took us and our luggage to the airport in Dayton. The flight to Manhattan was cool. The whole thing was perfectly timed too, because as soon as we got to baggage claim, there was James with his bag. “Peaches.” He shouted happily then he and Queen Que started making like it was VE-Day. It was really cute. It was only then that we saw the sign that said ‘New Directions’. Yup, another car service took us to the brownstone in Harlem. Bartana were waiting on us since Cedes, Puck and Sam were doing some family stuff all day. Our time in New York flew by. I went back to that great spa and I’d hit the Bergdorf flagship store and found a cute pair of red suede heels on sale. I was being all fiscally responsible. Until someone, a short, thick, Grammy nominated vocalist, had a word with the shoe lady. Next thing I knew I was trying on a pair of ruby red, suede Louboutin pumps with suede flames that licked adorably at my ankle. I swear, Puck is a Cedes bidding doing ninja. After I finished playing ‘richie bitch’ in the designer shoes that felt amazing, I put them back in the box intending to have them taken back into the back. By the time I’d gotten my shoes back on and turned to get the box with the shoes I could actually afford, Puck was handing me a bag with the Louboutins inside. Mercedes just gave me a smile that was totally superior. “He’s already destroyed the receipt too.” She chuckled. “Guess you’ll have to keep them.”

I kept them. I thanked her profusely and I kept the shoes. My mom had definitely not raised a fool. That night I rocked those high class heels, I rocked my designer dress and my real precious gemstone earrings and necklace and my engagement ring and my much less expensive bracelets that still looked awesome and I had the best New Year’s Eve I’d ever had. I got selfies with Lil Wayne and Drake, and I think I even got hit on by the rapper with the ridiculously long locs. I had Dom Perignon after kissing Mike at midnight. It was totally awesome, a night most people only ever dream of experiencing.

The next morning, when we finally all got up, Mercedes, Sam and Puck pulled Mike and me into their study. “Were you two planning to take classes again next summer?” Cedes asked as soon as the door closed.

“I don’t know that I’ve decided yet. I mean it would be easy to stay in Cali since I already have a job. But nothing is set in stone. Why?” I answered her question with indecision and another question.

“Because if we do the size tour they are talking about us doing…then we’re going to need more backup dancers and backup singers. At least another two singers and a full six more dancers.” She told me with a grin.

Sam took over from there though we both knew where he was going from there. “We’d like to offer you each a position with us. Tina…we already know how beautiful your and Mercedes voices are together…especially when you add in Santana. Mike…we know that you could be a pro now…but we’ll settle for just the summer…maybe next summer after this coming one too.”

“Yeah, just guessing, but probably that may be Europe or something then.” Puck shrugged. “You’d make twenty-eight thou for the summer. You ain’t gonna get that working retail in a year yet alone a summer. Plus you don’t have to pay rent for the three months you’re on tour with us.”

“We’d put you two with Artie, Santana, Brittany and Darcy when she meets us places. She won’t be traveling with us full time.” Cedes told us, I think to sweeten the pot. “Look, talk it over, talk to your parents. If the answer is yes, then we’ll do the paper work between now and the start of the tour. Your quarter ends before our semester anyway…so if you decide to do it you should be golden.”

I wanted to say yes so badly. But I couldn’t without talking it over with Mom and Dad and Mike would have to get his parents okay but I really wanted to do it. “I want to do it. I can’t say yes yet. But I can say that if my parents are okay with it…then yeah. I’m in.”

Mike gave me a huge hug. “Oh thank God. Me too. I mean, we all know that I’m going to have to spent the next six months convincing my father that this is a good thing…but I’m all in if I can manage that.”

We were all actually really happy when we headed back out to our friends. The rest of the first day of the new year, we spent chilling around the brownstone, spoiling Nikki and Beth like crazy. On the second we flew home then a few days later, Mike and I drove back to our apartment in California. Two thousand fourteen had been an exemplary year. And call me crazy, but I couldn’t help but think that twenty-fifteen was going to be even better.

 

Saul PoV

I never thought I was going to be That Uncle. Everyone knew That Uncle. He was the guy who didn’t have any kids of his own but bragged on his nieces and nephews so much that everyone who knew him got sick of his crowing. Now don’t get me wrong I much preferred being That Uncle to being one of those pet people who call their pets their kids and act like actual parents who are proud of their children are missing the entire point and should care more about their animals than their kids…the kind of people that have those ‘my –insert pet species here- is smarter than your honor student’ bumper stickers. I wasn’t a big fan of those people. Kids worked hard to get their parents those honor student stickers. It seemed really fucked up to piss all over that accomplishment for something whose greatest achievement was usually not eating their own feces at worst and being potty trained at best. In those cases, I actually preferred the pets to the owners. The pets were usually less assholey.

Still I had become That Uncle and I just didn’t give a rat’s ass if me being proud of my platinum selling nephew and his heart’s homes or my being proud of my nephews and nieces who were graduating with Masters and doctorates or my niece who was entering the last semester of her senior year in the top five percent of her graduating class. Personally, I felt that the thirteen, no fifteen…Nikki and Beth totally counted…nieces and nephews I had were well worth crowing about. But I wasn’t just That Uncle, I was also That Husband, Brother, Son and I was seriously contemplating becoming That Father too. But I wanted my Mills to myself for at least another year or so before we took that step. Though considering her age, we had at least five to seven years to have kids. Which was why I may well end up making the decision to wait until I’d stepped out on my own and built my business before we took that step. When Mills and I laid out these plans, I had no way to know that by the end of twenty fourteen, I would have enough clients who would follow me if I left the firm and they each had large enough portfolios to make it feasible and even more, profitable.

I was happy. Life kept throwing shit into my family’s way…but they seemed to weather each and every shit storm. So I was really very happy. There had been an article in The Real Deal about Mills and Francesca’s firm. The article was glowing about their business acumen and spoke about how the firm worked with KAMA and was one of the smallest in Manhattan and yet had one of the most profitable years on record for a business of their size. Since the article hit, Mills and Franny had been running around nonstop. Their appointment blockss were literally booked up all the way through the fifteenth of March. All the extra business had been great for us. She’d poured a large portion of the profits back into their business and opened a special savings account that she smiled happily about whenever I tried to persuade her to tell me what she had planned for that money. Franny was using a part of her share to build the business as well, but what she was doing with the rest was planning an obnoxiously ostentatious wedding. She’d booked the Plaza the same night Neil had proposed and she’d still had to wait until April twenty sixteen for a Friday date. She was planning such a big to do that she and Neil were paying for everything and her mother, who’d been saving for her daughter’s wedding since the doctor had said it’s a girl was just going to buy Franny’s, Mills’, Maddie’s and Nadia’s dresses. According to Mills, she’d still have plenty left over so Franny’s mom was definitely not complaining. Which was good because she was the only person involved in the wedding who was completely happy. Mills, Maddie and Nadia were getting frustrated about the fact that Franny was determined to make them wear a dark pinky coral color called Guava when they all actually wanted a different shade of peach color called Bellini. I pointed out that they should have been happy because they had talked her out of her mother’s suggestion of getting a color no one could possibly look good in because her friends were all so beautiful, that would be the best way to ensure that Franny looked better than them. Besides, she had changed her mind on the color a million times and would probably do so again before they actually had to order them.

But there was plenty of time to deal with all of that. We enjoyed spending Hanukkah with Mom and the kids on the first night, then Mom, Mills and I did Hanukkah with Neil and his family for the second night. Then just the three of us the third night. The fourth we were with the whole big clan in Michigan for the Graduation so we celebrated it with the whole family for the rest of the holiday. That was nice. We really had a great time. There were plenty of kids to spoil. There was a sense of family and comradery that was irreplaceable. It was a perfect holiday. The world around us sucked ass and after my nephews’ altercation with the security guards at the Lima Mall and the Kay Jeweler’s racist store clerk, I unloaded all Signet Jewelers stock from all of my client’s portfolio and spread the word to all the financial advisors of color as to why. With that and the fact that the story of what had happened to ‘KAMA’s brothers’ had not only gone viral, but was supported by anecdotal testimonials of many, many others…by the time the markets opened back up on Boxing Day, the British company’s stock had plummeted across the board.

While Mills and I were both using large amounts of Jake’s bandwidth checking our professional emails, I was surprised to get a message from Xena Garrison. The background singer was one of the members of KAMA’s band that had availed themselves of my expertise and she was building a very nice retirement portfolio. She also had the most colorful background of all of the members of the kids’ entourage. Apparently, she was doing some gambling over the break with some friends in Vegas and one of them had hit a huge slot payout. I personally didn’t play the slots, they relied too heavily on luck for me. I preferred games of skill. But it was undeniable that if you hit one of the mega machines, you could win millions. Xena’s friend had won almost thirty million. I gave her a very quick outline as to the investment strategy I would love to see her utilize. The statuesque singer shot me back a business plan for the single most interesting proposition I’d even seen. I enthusiastically revamped the structure of the investment scheme to allow the woman to move on her business venture and to invest her own funds for her retirement. They must have approved of my ideas, because Xena made an appointment for her and her friend to see me when everyone was back in the city. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her friend…I was going to triple that original deposit in the next two years…I was sure of it.

However as much of a letdown with the state of humanity as the whole Kay Jeweler’s bullshit had been, we didn’t let that stop us from having a great holiday. Christmas wasn’t something I just had to celebrate. Most years growing up, we hadn’t bothered with even the most secular aspects of the Christian holiday. But Mills had some amazing memories of the holiday so we celebrated it with our family. Not that it was a hardship. We got some great gifts. Apparently where for Hanukkah, you mainly gave to charity for adults, at Christmas everyone cleaned up. Now, granted the adults got fewer gifts than the kids…but the gifts were of much higher quality. They were all very thoughtful. I appreciated the stun gun phone case Devon got for Mills, even if it was technically illegal in New York. I liked the idea of her having more than just pepper spray if things got dicey when she was showing properties. I loved the antique Russian silver Torah pointer that Mom had gotten me. It was a gorgeous piece of Jewish history. I loved the crystal decanter set, it was something I’d wanted for a long time, but hadn’t put forth the effort to find one that I liked. But my favorite gifts actually cost a lot less. Stevie had given me some gift cards for Starbucks…because he “wasn’t sure which kind of coffee was good, but that one has to be, because they’re everywhere”. Nikki had gotten me a mini fridge that looked like a Coca-Cola vending machine, “I thought you could put it in your office…Bubbie says she’s sure that you don’t drink enough water to combat all the coffee you drink. So you can fill it with water and not have to go far for it and make her happy.” The gift itself was thoughtful, but the best part was the look of sheer embarrassment on Mom’s face. Yup, as Gabby is always saying ‘lil pitchers have big ears’. But all the gifts were wonderful and thoughtful. I wondered if I put a bug in Noah’s ear would he and his loves be up to getting me a Porsche the following holiday season. It could be all eight nights of Hanukkah and Christmas all rolled into one.

Dinner was absolutely amazing. Mom had done a great job stocking the wine fridge and getting the kids’ wine cellar started. The pairings she’d come up with for the dinner itself were awe inspiring. The food was even more amazing than it had been the year before, if that was possible. Then again Mrs. Mae and Mrs. Rose had gotten into the kitchen with their daughters and granddaughters, so it was more than possible. While most of the family and extended friends played games in the basement, Mills and I tip toed up to Mom’s room. The room was gorgeous, a lighter cherry hardwood floor, a really nice reading nook with a built-in bookshelf and a chaise lounge, and a private balcony with brown wrought iron patio furniture. The furniture in the room was super dark and really rather modern when compared to the feminine lines and very light upholstery of the soft pieces. It was clear to see that someone had made sure that the room would represent all of my mother’s personality and not just a few superficial traits. The bed was nice and soft and she’d made it, so we’d napped on it. Mills teased me about getting the itis, but the food had been great and it was worth it.

Even better than dinner itself had been the desserts. There were cakes and pies and cookies and fruit and crème anglaise trifles. To be honest, after dessert, I may have needed another nap. But then when we got back to Jake’s, he and I changed into some workout clothes and went for a run. That definitely helped. He and I talked during our run. It was a brisk, snowy Lima night…but the air was pretty clean and the scenery as we ran was really pretty. He finally told me that he was only having sex with his one girlfriend, and her friends just hung out with them most of the time for lack of anything better to do. All three girls would be graduating with Tessa so he’d be back on his own the next year. I wondered aloud how he felt about that and he just shrugged. “I don’t think that Chase is my forever love any more than I am hers, but it’s nice not to have to always be scamming on chicks to get some action when I need it, ya know.”

I did know. Sometimes that shit got really old. “I know. It’s good that if you aren’t with the forever chick, you’ve found someone you care about who cares about you and has the same needs. I think I kind of, may have dicked a few women over…I never dated them very long…because I knew I wasn’t ready to commit. Hell, at the time I didn’t think I would ever be ready to commit. Still, there were more women than just Francesca who thought I felt more than I did or thought that I was talking forever when I was only talking about a month or so.”

He nodded in understanding. And Jake really did understand. His relationship with Marley hadn’t been the same, but he had felt far more for her than she had for him. “I think that Marley is probably like Hudson…she just doesn’t understand what that means yet. Cede had Huds give me a call after me and Marley broke up and she explained to me what asexuality was and how it affected those who were born that way. So maybe she just couldn’t give me what I needed in a relationship and that wasn’t her fault or anything. I wish she wouldn’t separate from the rest of us so much…I’d have liked to be her friend at least since, I mean, I can understand her so much better now and everything.”

“Yeah, but you know that you cannot control anyone’s actions or the choices they make…only your own.” I reminded him. We ran the rest of the way talking about everything and nothing at all. It was a really good run. The next morning, we all went back over to the triad’s big ass house. Puck had called and asked us to come back over for breakfast. He’d also asked Mills advice on something Mercedes was doing while they were asleep. Apparently, she ‘d gone to get them cars to match the ones they’d gotten her. None of the women could make Noah and Sam put aside their feelings of righteous indignation to understand exactly why little Cede was making the move she did. Yeah, they were still overly concerned about her knowing how they cared about her and them not needing anything beyond what she’d already gotten them…until they saw the boss ass cars she’d picked for them. That was all kinds of hilarious.

When we got back to Jake’s we helped him clean up the house and I talked him down from packing enough for all the time he’d be in New York. “If you do that, you won’t have any room in your bag to bring back the clothes Mom or one of the sisters will see and decide that you just have to have. You saw what happened in Ann Arbor.” I advised.

“You know Nikki is freaking out about all the clothes that she will outgrow before she can ever wear them.” he told me with a wry smile. To be honest, I kind of understand where she was coming from. She had a full closet at Mom’s house and another at Noah’s…probably a third one in the kids’ Lima house. “I just told her that if it happens she can donate the clothes to a shelter like Sam’s and help some other kids who had things a lot worse than we all did.”

“That was good advice. You’ve got a pretty good handle on this whole uncle thing.” I teased him.

He just scoffed. “Yeah, I’ve got the easy stuff. But then she asked me why the shit at the mall had gone down the way it did. I don’t know how to explain racism to an eight-year-old kid who doesn’t have a mean or hateful bone in her body. Shit, I barely understand it. One of the best things Alicia ever did for me, was make me take a real black history course. They white-wash the hell out of American history in school. And even knowing the history doesn’t explain the why.”

“Kid, I don’t understand the why either.” I told him honestly. “One of the guys I went to college with said that it all boiled down to fear of the big black cock. Maybe that’s the real reason I don’t have any racism in me…my dick’s big enough that I don’t have to worry about compensating by denigrating and subjugating anybody.”

We shared a long laugh…but what could I, a white man who’d never really faced racism, say. I mean, yeah there were the odd anti-Semitics, but they were a lot less prevalent than the anti-black or brown types. Then again, maybe they weren’t and it was a lot easier to tell when someone is black or Hispanic than if they are Jewish so it was harder to tell who was anti-Semitic and who wasn’t . Jake looked at me and I could tell that he didn’t expect me to say anything more. We finished packing and went to the dinner with all his and Noah’s classmates from their show choir. It was an evening filled with good food, good company and some really good music. Tana and their Asian friend Tina did a duet of Beyoncé and Lady Gaga’s Telephone that was really, really good. But then that Unique girl and Mercedes did a version of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey’s ‘When You Believe’ that blew it completely out the water. Mills recorded it to her phone. “When we get home, remind me to upload that to my hard drive, I’m listening to that always and for freaking ever.” She told me later when she played it as she got dressed after her shower.

The next morning came pretty early, but not as early for us as for the kids, they were driving back. As soon as we got home, we locked ourselves in our bedroom until we had no choice but to come up for air. I had to go back to work and so did she. In fact, her first clients that Monday morning were Noah, Cede and Sam’s housekeeper and laundry dude. They had set their parameters well. They had a budget that they were very firm on, no more than three grand in rent. They wanted two to three bedrooms. They needed at least two bathrooms. In order to make things easier on themselves they were only looking in a five-mile zone around the brownstones. When she called me at ten to see if I wanted to have lunch together I was shocked. It turned out that they both knew what they wanted and they were in full agreement on it. She’d shown them two places and they immediately decided on the second and that it wasn’t necessary to go to anymore. It was a third story walkup in Astoria with three bedrooms and two bathrooms as requested. It had a huge living and dining room, a fully renovated kitchen with all new stainless appliances, and hardwood floors. The two friends had letters from Noah and his loves and their HR man, Ben Zizes that acted as both character references and proof of income they had their deposit together and within an hour had all the paperwork done and the keys in hand. Mills said it was one of the easiest appointments she’d ever had. So, to celebrate we had lunch together in my office…which was, thankfully, soundproof.

My meeting with Xena and her friend Blair after lunch was interesting from the very beginning. Knowing Ms. Lehane’s previous professions, I was certainly not expecting her to look as she did. I could easily see why the two young women were able to get away with calling each other sister without being questioned. They both had dark hair and very light eyes, Blair’s eyes were a shade of blue so light they were almost the color of ice. The similarities stopped there. Where Xena was at least six feet tall, Blair was only about five three or four. Even more, where Xena would be considered pretty by most people…Blair had a very interesting face. Her wide smile and quick wit ultimately made her pretty, but I’d have never believed that she could have made a living in the sex trade. But then again, her body was nice enough, though she didn’t illicit any arousal in me…to each their own. After talking to her, I found myself liking the person in front of me. She was pragmatic in a way people who didn’t face as many hard ships as she had…well they had a very hard time understanding her.

Blair was also as loyal to Xena as Xena was to her. So much so that not only did she make Xena the beneficiary of her entire portfolio, with a gentleman named Micah Sierra as their beneficiary if Xena and she die at the same time or in very short order, but she also set aside two million dollars that she wanted invested in index funds under Xena’s name. I loved that. So we set it up as a trust to make sure that Xena wouldn’t face a huge tax burden but would have the interest available to play with or to roll back into the fund. That still left me eight million dollars to put into those funds for Blair. Another five million went into high yield bonds. Then four million went into stock and other bonds. She’d already put four million into the corporation they’d established to build and set up their big, money earner in Nevada. She was worried about the costs of running the business, which would actually boast three to four revenue streams. She asked me to help her set aside some money that they could use the interest of and small amounts of the principal when absolutely necessary to help ensure they had the operating cost covered until the revenue streams were really established and built up. So I helped her to create a five million dollar fund that would give them money to draw on for operating costs and I set it up so that any of the interest that wasn’t pulled for payroll or inventory or whatever, would be rolled back into the principal fund. I finished off by setting her aside a million dollars in several easily accessible checking and saving accounts that would allow her funds for her own personal needs. As I’d anticipated, I had a hell of a lot of fun getting her money set up to work for her.

As much fun as Monday had been, Tuesday we had to suffer through a day at the photographer’s studio to make Mom really happy. I had managed to get out of going clothes shopping with them the previous day…a trip Mom was determined we all needed so that we’d all be in blue…but Mills hadn’t been that lucky. Thankfully as long as Mom didn’t make her get a dress, she was okay with shopping with Mom. Plus Mom was helping Shelby shop some of the sales to get clothes for the honeymoon Noah, Sam and Cede had given her and David for Christmas. Still, that didn’t stop my beautiful wife from sharing the wealth. Mills made sure that I ended up with a new sweater to match her new long sleeved romper. The next day, I wasn’t complaining at all Mills’ legs looked incredible in that romper and the bold shade of bright blue looked amazing with her pretty brown skin and almost blue black hair. After the full day of posing, which only Noah, Sam and Cede were really any good at, we all went out for dinner before heading home. It was a really nice time for all of us. Watching Nikki and Beth talk and really act like the sisters they were was a beautiful thing for their entire family. It was a blast and a half.

The next day, I didn’t bother going into the office. I finished putting everything in place for Ms. Lehane’s portfolio. I finalized the fourth quarter deposits of KAMA’s residuals, and moved the money over to pay off their holiday ‘excesses’…Sam’s word’s not mine. They were pretty bad, but I had Rick Castle as a client, so I knew that they could have been worse. Besides Mills absolutely loved the emerald and diamond tennis bracelet that ‘Santa’ had gotten her for Christmas. On top of that I answered a ton of emails and moved a few of my other client’s investments around to make their coming year more profitable and I did it all from the comfort of my home office. It was perfect because we were hosting the family, minus KAMA and their friends, for New Year’s Eve and I was able to be there to accept the food and drink deliveries. During a break in the queries into how on earth I’d found a new multimillionaire in the current economy and wooed them to my client base from my coworkers, I rearranged the great room and kitchen for the party. We had a great time.

It was almost a shame to see the family go, but it was nice to get back to the real world. I had a lot of plans for twenty fifteen and I couldn’t wait to get started putting them in play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I Love Comments & I Love Reviews  
> I know that we writers are supposed to be above all that, but it is a simple truth. I love to write, but I do love to get feedback as well.   
> So do a good deed, drop me a comment and let me know what you think of my chapter. 
> 
> TTFN,   
> Anni


	9. My Only Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassidy & Xena tell us about their Holiday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****
> 
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories
> 
> Special thanks to Isis Aurora Tomoe who is my current Beta rock star   
> Summary: Winter Break for the College Sophomores of the Learning French Series.   
> A time to reconnect with family and friends.

Cassidy PoV

Given that I had three weeks off around Christmas, there was never a doubt that I would be going home to my Grandparents for at least some of that time. However, I’d purchased my flight tickets early, before the ‘so you want to travel at the holidays, well that will cost you an arm, a leg and a lung’ pricing kicked in. Even though we were all given the week of Thanksgiving off, I’d actually worked during that time. Not long after we got back to Manhattan after the summer tour, I did a wedding that opened my eyes to a few things. One of the guests that had attended Puck’s parents’ wedding over the summer had recommended me to her friend who was getting married. I made five grand for a three-hour reception. I almost felt guilty about it. Until her father thanked me for being one of the most reasonable DJ with an actual name and he gave me another grand for a tip. That was lesson one. Because I toured with KAMA as their DJ, I was actually considered a celebrity DJ. Lesson two was that celebrity DJs could command a lot more bank than the common, hustling DJ.

With that lesson in mind, I’d talked with Artie and his friend from back home, Lauren, and paid her a grand, Artie wouldn’t take so much as a dollar…but they made my site look way more professional. Clean and efficient, but still cool and a little quirky. Lauren was adamant that I get rid of pricing on the site and instead have a prices available upon request button that led to a fillable form where they had to give information like their contact information, the date of the event and the venue and a comments section. “See if someone is doing a wedding at the Plaza at Christmas…they can pay a hell of a lot more than someone doing a bar mitzvah in Flushing that you want to do because of reasons. Like the kid is so deeply in love with Mercedes’ ridiculously amazing vocals or Sam’s ridiculously perfect abs or Puck’s well defined forearms and you want to give a young fan one hell of a break.” Lauren explained. 

I did just that and when I got request for a chick with a Trump Tower’s address who was having her wedding at the Plaza the day before Thanksgiving, I charged her fifteen G for five hours and she paid it and gave me a twenty-five hundred dollar tip. There was a little girl having her Bat Mitzvah in Hoboken the day after who said in the comment section that she hoped I could do it because it would be almost like having KAMA there, which there was no way her family could afford; I did the event for twenty-five hundred total. I also took her an autographed picture of my bosses and a special Bat Mitzvah greeting from the trio too. That felt good in an entirely different way from over charging the debutante. I wasn’t just building up my rep for my side hustle, or main hustle depending on who you asked, I also used my time working on some funktacular beats to lace under a few of KAMA’s next tracks. I had sent Idris Elba the beats for the remix of ‘Rescue Me’ that would be coming out after Mr. Elba got us his track. He was filming some secret project and couldn’t get to a studio so though he’d written his verse, he had yet to lay the track down.

By the time of the office Christmas party, I was booked fairly solid for the week Columbia was taking their exams. Hudson and Haja rocked at keeping us all up to date on when there was no possible way that KAMA could utilize their band due to their class scheduling. I was booked solid that entire week. I had a few corporate parties, a winter wedding and a Hanukah party. It was a great week because not only did I manage to get all that extra work in, but I got a bomb ass bonus from my primary gig and I got all my Christmas shopping done, wrapped and sent to Grandma’s house, which was where we all congregated on Christmas morning to open gifts. Granddaddy had given me the heads up that Rockey was supposed to be coming for Christmas. I was almost tempted to pretend no prior knowledge and therefore not get him a gift. I wasn’t feeling spending much on him…but, by the same turn I really wasn’t feeling the drama that would start if I got Granddaddy and Uncle Nadir the awesome gifts I had found for them, and got him next to nothing. Then I remembered the hundred dollar Macy’s gift card, I’d gotten from Mercedes, Sam and Puck for Christmas. That would be perfect. As loathe as I was to give him anything they had gotten me, it wouldn’t have actually cost me anything and I wasn’t even sure he lived near a Macy’s which meant he might have to leap through a few hoops to use it. I grinned evilly to myself. Anything that didn’t cost me a dime and might force him to spend money just to utilize it was definitely the perfect gift for Rockey Carter.

I finally flew down to the ATL the Sunday before Christmas and would fly home late Friday night. It felt weird to call New York home, but that was what it truly felt like by that point. I had my apartment perfectly decorated to reflect my tastes and personality. More even than my first place in Decatur. Since I’d been earning a very good, very stable paycheck, I was able to budget better and so I could decorate my apartment in a way that had originally seemed foreign to me. I had art pieces on the wall that I’d discovered in a little gallery in SoHo. I had a beautiful rug in the living room that I’d found at a flea market that Erika swore by. I had everything exactly the way I liked it.

It had taken a lot of arguing and talking and cajoling and reassuring my grandparents that I could afford it, but I’d rented a car and gotten a hotel room for the week-long visit. The flight was quick and easy. The rental car turned into a bit of a pain in the ass. But after showing them way too many forms of ID and getting the suddenly mandatory insurance, I finally drove away with a cute little blue Corolla. Thankfully, after dealing with the wonderful people at the rental car desk, I had no problem checking into my room at the Holiday Inn Atlanta Airport South. Since it was just me, I’d gotten a simple one king bed, non-smoking room. It was really nice, though as soon as I got all my stuff inside the room, I had to hurry back to the car to make it to Grandma’s and Granddaddy’s right around the time they would be setting out Sunday dinner.

My grandmother was a southern black grandmother. She took one look at me and decided she needed to feed me up before I went home. Over the next few days, every time I turned around she was shoving food into my mouth. By Christmas Eve, our whole section of the Davidson family was present and accounted for. Including my father who had showed up with a twenty-seven year old fiancée who worked on ‘the hill’ as a clerk in a congressional committee office. I couldn’t help but hope that she had someone who pointed out that my father had a hell of a lot of baggage for a forty-five year old man. But I wasn’t stupid enough to say anything to her. I’d learned that lesson by the time I was thirteen. I was way toolight and bruises lasted entirely toolong on me. If I warned her and she left Rockey and he reacted like he did the last time I tried to help one of his women, I’d go back to New York looking all beat up. If I went back to NYC looking like a battered spouse, Dave, Sam and Puck, probably with Artie, Justin and the Dam Bros rolling with to provide some kind of alibi, would drive and make sure Daddy Dearest matched me bruise for bruise. My bosses and friends were loyal as hell and super protective of the women in their lives. Thankfully, most of the time they were there, I was in the kitchen helping Grandma and Aunt Kat get things ready for the next day.

The next morning, I was up at five and over to Grandma’s by five thirty. She was already awake. Together we made coffee and got most of our families’ contribution to the BIG family Christmas dinner that we would leave for not too long after all the gifts were open ready for transport. The tradition was that each of Grandma’s brothers’ and sisters’ families would open their gifts and then drive the hour and a half to three hours to my great-grandparent’s homestead near Warner Robbins. For us that meant we needed to start the gifts opening by around six…we’d be finished by eight and then give everyone time to shower and get dressed to get on the road to the homestead by ten. Grandma had it down to a science. She liked to get there after her sister Sandra who always did the desserts, well her daughter in law had been doing them for the last five or so years. Licia could bake for real…I was really tempted to offer to help her get a shop or something, she was that good. Grandma wanted to get there before her sister Freda who did the ham and turkey. If Grandma didn’t get there before Freda, she wouldn’t be able get the dressing and any of the other oven sides reheated before Freda took the stove to ‘cook’ the meats…yeah cook. If she was cooking them herself than Honeybaked Ham owed her a lot of money for stealing her recipes.

Anyway…Christmas morning at Grandma’s meant that Felix and Frankie opened first, then Nara and Max, then Grandma and Granddaddy, then me, then Rockey, and I guess his girl, then Aunt Tanisha with Aunt Kat and Uncle Nadir going last. Before having grandkids, not including me…I counted as a kid not a grand, Grandma and Granddaddy used to go last. But once they retired, Grandma and Granddaddy flipped positions with the kids they had raised. Felix and Frankie were the first ones up. So I sent them to wake up Nara and Max. Just as they headed up, Aunt Kat, Uncle Nadir and Aunt Tanisha got there. The kids always stayed at Grandma and Granddaddy’s on Christmas Eve. If Rockey had been man enough to get himself and his chick a hotel room, Uncle Nadir and Aunt Kat would have stayed with their kids. But instead they had stayed with Aunt Nisha. Rockey and Nisha hadn’t gotten along since he’d told her she was going to hell for being gay and she had told him that he was going to hell for being a wack job woman beater. Even though she had gone back to dating men, they still didn’t like each other. So no way could he stay with her.

Granddaddy went and woke up Rockey and his fiancée. I used to memorize their names when I actually believed they would be around the next year. Then I tried to help that one chick out and that hadn’t worked at all in my favor. So from then on out, I prayed that they’d get their minds right before too long. Once everyone was assembled, it was a flurry of paper while the twins, Aunt Kat and Uncle Nadir’s sons, and then Max and Nara, Aunt Nisha’s kids open their stuff. Felix and Frankie jump all over me to thank me for the matching Amazon Fire for Kids, I’d gotten them. Mercedes had said that her new little girl loved hers so I figured that the boys would too. Soon as I got those two off of me Max and Nara were all over me. At least the twins were still smaller than me. Max and Nara were not. Once I got them to release me and check out their iPhone 6ses and designer cases, I made them both look me in the eye. “You are on my plan…but if you even think about going over your data, I’m gonna have your momma confiscate those bad boys so fast that your heads will spin.”

“We promise.” They swore diligently. They weren’t irresponsible kids. If I really thought that they wouldn’t keep their words, I’d have gotten them something else.

“I’m holding you to that.” I told them. I couldn’t not get all four of them something great. Aunt Kat and Aunt Nisha had made sure that I had something under the tree from my ‘Daddy’ every year when I was small enough not to realize that Rockey never gave a damn about me…not even at the holidays.

But while I had kept myself to a budget on the kids’ gifts…sort of…I’d gone all out on Grandma’s and Granddaddy’s. All my life, my grandmother had yearned for a set of real, lady like pearls. She’d had fake sets over the years, even some really good fake ones. But Granddaddy had never been able to get her real ones. Which, they cost like three grand for one necklace and even once their kids were all out of the house, they were raising me with no help from Rockey so no, they couldn’t afford to get her real pearls. When she opened her gift from me to find a nice, lady like, length pearl necklace, matching bracelet and earrings, and she read the gift receipt that didn’t have the price, just the name Mikinoto Akoya and she realized that it was the dream, she cried. Holding the jewelry box open she turned it to Granddaddy to show him. “Jack, look what our baby got me?”

Aunt Kat and Aunt Nisha moved over quickly, pushing Rockey out the way in their haste. “Oh Mamma…You finally have your pearls.” Aunt Nisha said with a smile. There were hugs all around.

Then Granddaddy interrupted the beautiful expression of happiness to show them the gold Rolex watch I’d gotten him. I wanted to get him something as awesome as Grandma’s pearls and an article I read online said that men of that age group were Rolex’s chief customers. So that was what I got him. “Now CassieBean…can you afford this?” he asked even as he was pulling that bad boy out the box and putting it on his wrist.

“You two have always taken care of me. You took me in when you didn’t have to. You’ve fed me and clothed me and made sure I had everything I needed growing up. I wanted to get you something that I knew you’d have gotten for yourselves if you hadn’t been raising me.” I told them hoping they would understand how much I loved them. Then explained about the extra side hustle that Mercedes, Sam and Puck encouraged us to have and how I’d gotten my site updated. “Up there I’m considered a celebrity DJ. That means that people will pay me crazy money to spin for them.” I assured them.

“Well, I guess you need to make sure you don’t end up owing the IRS your life for double dipping.” Rockey said snidely.

I just shook my head determined to ignore his negativity. Aunt TaNisha wasn’t so nice. She turned and looked him dead in the eye and calmly said, “Rockey…if you leave here and Mamma and Daddy’s stuff comes up missing…I don’t care if it comes up missing two years from now…I don’t care what Mamma tries to say, I’m going to point the police right in your direction. Your old jealous ass is sitting there talking to you daughter about that bullshit when she’s done good and gotten both of your parents their dream gifts. I’d ask what you got them…but I’m willing to bet that Monica is the one who bought whatever is in those boxes bearing your name…just like me and Kat bought all CassieBean’s toys when she was little.”

Granddaddy got them under control with a hard look at both, before Rockey could say anything back. “We love them CassieBean. And Nisha, how many times do I have to tell you to stop stealing my nickname. Make up your own.” That broke up the tension in the room and my grandparents were able to open the rest of their gifts.

I opened my gifts next. Monica, glad Aunt Nisha paid more attention than I did, and Rockey had gotten me a nice blue suede sip front jacket. “Rockey wasn’t sure about your size, so I made sure that they put a gift receipt in there.” She told me honestly.

So I repaid her honesty with some of my own. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get you a real gift. I didn’t realize that Rockey was bringing a guest with him.” I went ahead and handed her the Christmas card envelope with her name on it from under the tree.

She gave him a strange look, but just accepted my apology and the Starbucks gift card in a nice holiday card from the CVS near the hotel I was stay at. “Thank you.” She said simply.

The next thing I opened was from Aunt Nisha. One of the few times I’d ever seen Aunt Nisha go near a mall was when I was sixteen and she and I sampled a million fragrances at the Dillard’s perfume counter. A few weeks later, at Christmas, I opened a bottle of perfume from her that I’d loved that day at the mall. That Christmas, like everyone since then I opened my gift from her to find a small bottle of ‘Clinque Happy Heart spray. She and I shared a smile. To me the gift wasn’t the perfume, it was the memory of my aunt doing something she hated just to spend time with me and find me a gift that I would like.

Aunt Kat and Uncle Nadir had gotten me a great Sprayground backpack with pink wings and the picture of a goddess with her wings outstretched on it. It was a perfect way to take my smaller gear around when I was DJing. I’d seen them on a few cats on the subway but hadn’t asked where they got them the only reason I knew the name was from the small red tag on the front. “Oh this is awesome.” I said happily. “I wanted one…”

“Look inside it.” Aunt Kat was about hopping on her seat. So I did as directed. Inside were some DJ dream tech. A Corsair Flash Survivor USB flash drive that was waterproof, shock and vibration resistant and it was the sixty-four gig version so it could hold a lot of my mixes. There were two Serato control vinyl disks to extend the life of my tables and a pair of Munitio Winter Billets 9mm earphones.

“Wow…that is awesome. Thanks so much.” I almost screamed. Those two had gotten me stuff I really wanted but hadn’t been comfortable spending that much on myself.”

Uncle Nadir wasn’t as confrontational with Rockey as Aunt Nisha was, but he wasn’t one to not say something because Rockey was there either. “Cassidy, you know that you are our first Baby.” He chuckled. “Now Anthanio helped us pick that stuff out, so he says that when your tour comes through Charleston you’d better come and say hello.”

“I will.” I promised solemnly. I definitely would. I couldn’t wait to introduce him to the band. I bet that he and Dave would get along like a house on fire.

My last gift was from my grandparents. I knew that it wouldn’t be expensive. They were on a fixed income. I wasn’t worried about that. They always got me something I loved no matter if it didn’t cost a whole lot. That Christmas was no different. I opened the box from them and found a Cabeau memory foam evolution travel pillow and neck pillow and a second of the super flash drives. I was just as enthusiastic in my gratitude for their gift as I had been for Nisha’s and Kat and Nadir’s.

Rockey got a whole bunch of gift cards. No one knew enough about his life to give him real gifts. To be honest, only part of that was that he kept his secrets tightly. The rest was just the fact that we were family so we did love him…but none of us, other than Grandma and Granddaddy liked him very much. So each of his sister’s children gave him a twenty-dollar gift card for Target or Sprawl-Mart. His sisters and I each gave him a hundred-dollar gift card, mine to Macy’s, TaNisha’s to an online superstore I’d never heard of and Aunt Kat’s to Amazon. Pretty much all of us gave Monica small gift cards as well.

Then it was time for Aunt Nisha to open her gifts. She loved the tickets for the Delta Classic Chastain Music series that she got from Aunt Kat and Uncle Nadir. She really liked the warm winter coat she got from Grandma and Granddaddy. Aunt Nisha always made sure to get Nara and Max coats, but never managed to get her own, so that was a perfect gift. When Aunt Nisha picked up a silver wrapped box from me, she laughed. “And here I was thinking that my gift from you was finally getting to keep my smart phone to myself, and not having an extra bill on top of it.” Then she opened my gift and she about lost her mind. Tanisha loved sunglasses. She bought ‘designer’ sunglasses from anywhere she could, for ten dollars or less. So for Christmas I gave her four pairs of real designer sunglasses. Two pairs of Gucci sunglasses with two Cs and two pairs of Prada not Prado. “Cass…Oh my God…Cassidy you are the best niece-slash-baby sister the world has ever seen.” She crowed happily, showing them off to all who would look. She put them on and took them off and then repeated the actions with another pair until she finally had tried them all on. “Oh, you know I’m gonna be looking fly for years.” She giggled before giving her daughter a look of promised doom, “Nara…I love you from the bottom of my heart, but you even think about touching my actual, factual, designer sunglasses, and you will lose your hand.” She told her daughter with severe seriousness. Nara looked suitably frightened and agreed to keep her hands to herself.

Aunt Kat was laughing herself silly until she opened her gifts from the boys. They had made her hand prints with pictures of the two of them shellacked into the palms. She cried. Then she opened the gift from Grandma and Granddaddy and found a set of Bluetooth headphones that she would have never bought for herself…because she wasn’t a tech head. They were hugely popular and only getting more so. Her husband bought her a beautiful, half carat, teardrop two stone diamond ring. I kind of hated having to go after that, but she had saved mine for last. Inside she found four designer handbags. Two Marc Jacobs Gotham pebbled, hobo bags, one in black and one in navy. Then two Kate Spade totes. I’d gone through every mommy blog associated with the twin’s private school and found the ones that every one of the moms who lunch were day dreaming about and I got her the two designers they were aching for the most. I was kind of surprised they weren’t wanting some of the super bags like a Birkin bag. I was grateful, but still surprised. “You darling angel.” She breathed as she petted the purses. “I love them so much. Thank you.” Sincerity rang through every word.

Nadir looked at me and laughed. “Unlike my better half, I cannot wait to see what you got me.” So saying he opened the box bearing his and my names. Inside he found a MeisterSinger Pangaea watch that was less ostentatious than the Rolex I’d gotten Granddaddy, but only a little less expensive. “Wow, Cassie…this is really beautiful.” He told me as he pulled his watch off and replaced it with the new one. “I love it. It’s perfectly me.” He grinned happily. He liked all his gifts, but I could easily tell that mine was his favorite.

That was the end of the gift opening. I helped Grandma and Aunt Nisha and Aunt Kat with getting all the wrapping paper picked up and thrown away. It was while I was taking some of the reusuable boxes up to the attic that my father decided to make his displeasure known. “How dare you spend all that money on that foreigner and barely a dime on your own father?” He started angrily.

“I dared because that foreigner…which Uncle Nadir was born in California.” I defended. “Besides, I spent as much on each of your gifts as you each made an impact on my life.” I said honestly. “Uncle Nadir’s watch cost so much because he has never forgotten a single birthday or not been there when I needed him since the day he met Aunt Kat.” Which was technically so long ago I had to think really hard to remember when he wasn’t there. “He’s been a father figure when you couldn’t be bothered. So don’t get mad at anyone but yourself for the fact that your own child thinks you are worth less time, trouble and money than a woman she just met.”

“Your mother should have aborted you like I told her to.” He growled.

I nodded. “I know Rockey…you told me that the first time when I was eight. And you have the nerve to wonder why Uncle Nadir got a better gift than you.” I walked away. 

We managed to avoid each other for the rest of the trip. My great aunts and uncles and the cousins were very used to seeing none of us talking to Rockey when he even showed up. So the drama didn’t continue to the homestead. We even had a really good time and a really nice meal. Nara and Max were hits with their new phones and you couldn’t tell Aunt Nisha nuthin’ with her new shades. Everyone had a blast. Well, Grandma and Granddaddy had some trouble smiling when we first got there. But as soon as Rockey decided that he and Monica were going to head on back to Virginia a little early, Grandma and Granddaddy relaxed a little bit. The original plan had been for them to cut over to Interstate ninety-five when we all left to go back to Atlanta, so they already had their stuff. It wasn’t until they left that I noticed Grandma hadn’t put her purse with the others in the front closet, but instead kept a tight hold on it. I learned later that she’d put her pearls and Granddaddy’s Rolex in her purse for safe keeping.

We didn’t head back to College Park until well after dark. It had been great catching up with the cousins and the family. The next day, after I checked out of the hotel, Aunt Kat and I took Grandma shopping to find her a new church dress to go with her pearls. Since we were sticking to Ross’ and TJMaxx, we were even able to convince Nara and Nisha to come. It was really fun. I made my return flight and was quite happy to be back in my bed that evening. Saturday, we met at the studio at four and practiced for an hour…just to shake off any cobwebs, before laying down two wildly different sounding versions of the same song as a demo for the Johnny Depp movie KAMA was under contract to do a song for. Then things got serious as we went to work on songs for the next album.

As I worked with the producer, Kaytranada, helping him find their perfect grove and learning as much as I could from him, I thought over the massive changes to my life that two-thousand and fourteen had brought about and couldn’t help but think that I prayed that twenty-fifteen was even better.

 

 

Xena PoV

Since I’d learned that Slickback was working hard on going legit, I’d been saving my money, which wasn’t hard. I made way more than I needed to live on. After taxes and making sure that I paid my rent and the few bills I had, I usually had about four grand left over every month. I put fifteen hundred into the savings account that was linked to my checking and I put twenty-five hundred into a special savings account for a little project I was hoping to undertake over Christmas. I also took some extra hair gigs and did a few other side hustles as Vampirella. Sci-fi nerds were willing to pay some serious bank for their cosplay events. Every time I talked to Blair or Slickback they were telling me all about the things they had under way to get the jump off money to start connecting the property to the city water lines and to power and sewer and communication lines for internet and phones. They’d had assessments done and it was going to run them between fifteen and twenty thousand to get all the needed lines run.

Thankfully, the city council, despite the rather illicit nature of their enterprise, was so desperate for the revenue stream that they were bending over backwards to be helpful. They had used county money to get the utilities stretched out to the area, which was in the city limits, but had never been developed at all. In fact, with the business plan that I had helped Blair and Slickback put together…so maybe my help was in sending them an employment contract that was pretty much the one I had with KAMA with the names removed and a few stipulations from the contract I had with the modeling group I did my hair modeling through. The payscale wouldn’t be as high and the benefits package wasn’t as awesome…but it was very realistic and gave them something to show the city council. The councilors liked it so much that it actually qualified them for both the sales and use tax and personal property tax abatements. Which meant that A Pimp Named Slickback wouldn’t be paying much of anything in business taxes for the first five years after he opened. He would still have to pay the licensing fees, but even those had been waved for the first six months of operation. One of Slickback’s best and most loyal clients was a lawyer who practiced in a bunch of southwestern states, including Nevada. He made sure that Slickback had everything in writing. A Pimp Named Slickback had had to put his actual name on all the paperwork. It wasn’t an easy conversation to inform him of that.

I’d assumed that we’d be left to our own devices during Columbia’s exam week and had planned accordingly. I was able to get a flight out to Reno for sixty-nine bucks and then another a few days later leaving from Vegas and going to Oklahoma City for seventy-five. Of course, I’d be renting a car in Reno and then again in Oklahoma City, but I wanted to make a few final decisions and it was the perfect time. I flew out the same day the SAG nominations were released. But since Mercedes didn’t get nominated, it wasn’t a big deal for me any day. As I was leaving my apartment with my one carry-on, my tote bag and my one checked bag, I realized that if any one broke into my place…they were going to be pissed as hell. Because I had everything of value in one of those three bags. The flight to Reno wasn’t bad. I napped for the most of it. The four-hour drive to Goldfield was some other shit. That was the most boring drive I’ve ever driven. The Chevy Cobalt I’d rented seemed like a sardine can by the time I arrived in Esmerelda County.

As soon as I stepped foot out of that car, I immediately knew why they were so desperate for the business Slickback was getting ready to build. There was less than nothing there. The population of the town of Goldfield was smaller than the population of my building in Queens. I also understood why Blair said that once they got the utilities run they were covered for the cost of building the actual building. Slickback had savings from years of hustling and the two years he’d actually run the food truck back when he was establishing his IRS alibi. Blair had some money saved and she was going in as a silent partner. I think mainly she just wanted to make sure she had at least some of the input he promised she would have over the hiring of the girls. When I got to Stillwater, I was going to try and convince Slickback to let me buy in as well. Looking around Goldfield, there was a lot of history in the city. It was a very beautiful kind of old mining town preserved for posterity. That gave me a great idea for what the structure of the venture should look like. Ethan and Daniel had definitely trained me not to call it what it was.

Driving through the town, I’d had no trouble finding the four-acre plot of land near the end of Grand Street that Slickback had gotten at the county land auction. Standing out in front of it, I couldn’t help but envision a nice big central building, built in the style of the historic buildings of the town center. Google called it Italianate Style Architecture. That building would be where the partying happened. The first floor would be a good sized, old fashion looking saloon that offered all the modern amenities. It would also hold the offices for Blair, Slickback and they would need at least a medic onsite. It was too bad that Nevada Laws made it illegal to run a casino and a brothel within the same business. Still, I’d looked into it and we’d be able to have slots. That was probably as deep as we’d need to go. Losing money made men mean…that wouldn’t be good for the stable. I turned my thinking back to the concept I was building to give to Slickback. If the first floor was the saloon, kitchen and the offices…and a small side room with a runway setup to allow guest to choose their ‘company’ for the allotted time period. And of course public restrooms for those who just wanted a drink or food and conversation. Then the second, third and possibly a fourth floor would hold the party rooms. Each room would have to have its own bathroom and a closet plus a bed. The rooms would range in size from a nice size ten by ten-foot bedroom for just a one on one party up to really big ‘master suites’ for groups or special guests. I smiled and went back to the car and dug out a pad and pencil from my tote bag and started jotting down all my thoughts.

If we made the brothel itself, a nice restaurant, a good bar and a great brothel…we’d be able to make a shit ton of money and probably establish ourselves as the travel spot over the Bunny or Mustang Ranches, despite their long history. I made notes to see how much it would cost to do a pool on site as well. The brothel-slash-restaurant-slash-bar would be the main building. But if I could get the adjacent parcel of land for cheap enough, we could have the main building, the two small dorms for the stable and put up a small B&B or hotel too. Granted, the hotel would have to wait until we got the brothel up and running but it would be worth it. That could make it a real destination for the Hollywood set. A good fence and some security to guarantee privacy. Slickback would be rolling in dough in a few years at most.

The plan was to offer both males and females in our stable since it was legal to do so. Unfortunately, the laws made it really hard to source new dicks and chicks. But I was sure that we’d figure something out. Both dorms would be co-ed, but one would be a little nicer than the other. Depending on which one they wanted to live in, they would have to rent their apartments. The nicer dorm would, of course cost more to live in. We’d have to have a nice firm rule about no clients in the dorms. But it should be fine. I was sure that we could come up with a lease that established the rules for in the dorms. I spent another hour or two walking the entire four acres getting a feel for if what I was hoping would be possible was even close to being realistic. Then I headed to Vegas and checked into my hotel room. It took me about three hours, but I finally found a site that would let me buy and customize blueprints and that actually had the style I was looking for. I picked the biggest one and bought it…damn blue prints weren’t cheap. Once I had that done, I ran out and grabbed a late dinner and headed back up to my room. I was in Vegas for three days, drove back out to the site twice…but I managed to get the blueprints for the main structure completely customized and ordered. They should arrive at Blair’s place two days before Christmas. Despite the fact that none of us really celebrated holidays, they would be her and Slickback’s gift from me.

I didn’t spend the whole time working on the project. I was in Vegas, I had to make it to the tables a time or two. One of the things most foster kids learn early was how to read people. Everyone had tells that showed anger or even happiness. I used the hard won knowledge I gleaned during my years as a foster child and my time as one of Slickback’s Warrior Princesses, along with some mathematics based card tricks I learned from Puck over the summer, and took five hundred bucks to try my hand at gambling. I tried to play it smart. I only bought five hundred bucks in chips. I stuck to the games I understood, so blackjack and poker. I didn’t bring any other money or my cards down with me. I didn’t let myself use any other money to gamble with. Over the course of my time in Vegas, I made enough to double the amount I was going to put forth for the Nevada venture and put an extra ten Gs into my personal savings account. My last night in the City of Sin, I treated myself to dinner at Naked City Pizza. It wasn’t exactly a major expense, but it was something of a drive from my hotel on the strip. One of the few TV shows I watched was Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I loved it. The pizza was definitely all that they said and more.

The next morning, I turned in the rental car and caught my flight to OK City then rented another tiny car and drove to Stillwater. I got to Blair’s place and found her talking to a few of the street level girls. As soon as she saw me, she dropped those broads to come and give me a hug. She introduced me to the women. “This is Xena, she’s the original Warrior Princess and A Pimp Named Slickback considers her to be his daughter done good. So mind your mouths and your manners.”

The girls weren’t stupid. They heard and heeded the warning. I took the time to talk with each of them. I wanted to speak to them about their lives and how they were feeling about what they were doing for a living and how they were being treated. I was also data mining to make sure that they really were over eighteen. Nevada’s laws were strict as hell about working girls being underage…which I totally agreed with. I still wasn’t quite over the shit that I’d gone through in the foster home where I’d met and bonded with Blair. It did help to see the news report that he’d been found naked and castrated with the words pedophile and rapist carved into his chest and abdomen. Slickback took care of his girls. I really respected that about him.

Once his girls knew that I was there, it didn’t take him long to pop up. “ZEE. How long has your tall ass been here?” he rolled in shouting as if he didn’t already know. “You doing okay? We could have come and picked you up.”

He came and gave me a big hug. I think he shocked the hell out of the stable chicks because the hug was completely platonic. He didn’t rub on me like he would have done any of them. “I’m doing good Slickback. I drove because you know I like my independence.” We shared a chuckle. “When are the girls going out? I’ve got some business to discuss with you and Blair.”

Slickback shrugged. “They needs to hit their walk by seven, but they can go and get their asses some sleep and get ready for the stroll now.

One of the chicks hung back a little but with a hard look from both Blair and Slickback she dipped with the quickness. “So, Zee…what idea have you had that’s going to change our lives this time?” Blair teased.

I rolled my eyes. “Sorry for making y’all legitimize your hustle.” I shot back.

“Yeah, yeah…that’s a ‘sorry I ain’t sorry’ if I ever heard one.” Slickback laughed.

I just gave them a Kanye shrug. “I’m making bank…what kind of sister and daughter type person would I be if I didn’t try and help y’all to make a come up too?”

Blair and Slickback and I all exchanged long looks. We didn’t do emotions so I was actually relieved when Slickback just laughed it off. “Alright, Smarty-Arty…what you got?”

So I laid it all out for them, even whipped out my refurbished laptop that I’d gotten for a Benji from a tech head that lived in my building and showed them the PDFs of the customized floorplans. I showed them what I thought would be a good start up plan for having three streams of revenue not just one. “Like, see, my boss, Sam he was homeless for a while a few years ago right. And he is really freaked out about being broke again. So to make sure that it doesn’t happen ever again…they have all these real estate plans in the works to turn their one big money maker into a whole lot of money makers.”

“I get it. So we’d make money off people wanting a nice dinner or an evening of drinks with friends…but we should also do a larger room for the selection process, then we can rent it out and do exotic dance parties like we do now for bachelor and bachelorette type deals.” Slickback suggested.

I nodded. “Not bad.” I said thoughtfully. I hadn’t thought of that one. That could be a great way to increase our marketability. I made a note on my spreadsheet. I also made a mental note to thank Artie. He was really good people and he had taught me a hell of a lot about computers

Blair looked thoughtful. “If we can afford it, I’d love to go up one more floor and have a floor of fantasy rooms.” We asked her to explain more. “Well, me and Slickback were saying that since Heidi Fleiss didn’t open her place, and we’re allowed to have rent boys…we should make sure that a few of them are bisexual, if not all of them. Well, for women, it’s not just fucking, especially if they are paying for it. It should also be about the fantasy. So I was thinking a room that looks like something out of Gone with the Wind, and a classroom where she gets to be the teacher dealing with a naughty student…or the other way around.”

“Oh, that’s good.” I agreed. “Maybe one of the fantasy rooms could be a small bar setting…you know for a group sex deal. Perhaps one with a nice large walk-in closet with a two-way mirror for a door for a voyeurism kind of bang.” We did a little more brainstorming and decided that we’d have a floor of ten of the fantasy rooms, a floor of twelve regular rooms and then the floor of six of the larger suites.”

Slickback looked over the floorplans and did some quick mental math. “That will put us at around thirty-seven thousand square feet. Given the quote for the build…that’s about three times what we have saved up. And we haven’t moved on the first steps because we didn’t know how to do that and still have the money to actually build the place. Shit, I’ve been hustling for twenty some years to save what we’ve got.” 

I smiled. “Well, I have a little bit of an idea. I’ve got fifty thousand saved up. I want to buy in as a partner, maybe ten to fifteen percent. I can send you more after the new year.”

Blair looked excited. “That’s ten times, my little one percent buy in.” she said happily. “That will definitely give us the money to get the utility lines all down.”

I nodded. “Plus, I don’t mind heading back to Vegas and seeing if I can win some more. Half of what I’m putting on the table I won over the three days I was in Vegas.”

Slickback looked shocked. “How did you do that? I thought the house always won.”

I smirked at him. Then explained the tricks Puck had showed me, the rules by which I governed myself and the ease with which I picked up peoples tells. “Not to mention that I’m a fairly attractive white woman. It was easy to keep men off their games and a little bit of flirting and they actually seemed to want me to take their money.” We all chuckled. “Now, I’m not saying that I didn’t ever lose. But overall, by playing things smooth and not getting too greedy. I won a lot more than the twenty-seven hundred I lost over the course of playing.”

“So…could you teach Blair how to do that and the two of you head to Reno…not Vegas, don’t want to piss off which ever mobster you won off of last time. Could you bring back some more for the kitty?” he asked quietly.

“I guess…not sure how successful we will be but…I don’t mind.” I said honestly. We weren’t huge on holidays. Other than the fact that they were surprisingly lucrative for the street level chicks. It always baffled me how fathers and grandfathers would sneak away from family time to get it in. Slickback called Large Marge…one of the other Warrior Princesses, her name was actually Helen, she created her nickname based off both her size and the old PeeWee Herman movie. She showed up fifteen minutes later with a poker set from Sprawl-Mart and three extra decks of cards. When Large Marge figured out what we were planning, she wanted to help too. Turned out that her mother had been a dealer at some big deal poker club in Dallas. Helen had grown up around dealers and poker players her entire childhood. She had a hell of a lot tricks up her sleeve. So for the next three days, Blair, Large Marge and I worked on upping Helen’s blackjack game…she already had more than enough knowledge to spank a poker table…and she was more than willing to share. Blair had to learn the basics of both games as well as the tricks and other things that we hoped would make sure that we got ourselves some bank.

Three days after I got to Stillwater, we girls took a road trip. We stopped first in Duncan and hit the Chisholm Trail Casino run by the Chickasaw Indians. They had a Texas Hold ‘Em game that Helen rocked at. She rocked it so hard that she left there with a cool forty grand after having completed the paper work for the IRS. They weren’t big enough to do the withholding thing. Which sucked ass a little bit, but what could we do. Then the next day, we stopped in a cool little Choctaw place with slots. Me and Helen couldn’t hit for shit on those. But Blair, Blair was the goddess of those machines. She won on one that had a pay out of eleven hundred and ninety-nine dollars. There wasn’t any paperwork involved in that win, but when she decided to try one of the big machines, just to see…she actually won fifty thousand bucks. There was definitely paperwork involved in that one.

The way we had it planned it would take us three days to reach Reno. We made what was supposed to be a short stop in Vegas and just made the decision not to go back to the Fabulous Ali Baba Hotel and Casino where I’d stayed the week before. We’d been putting our winnings into my special buy in account and Artie’s Mom had been really nice when I asked how much to hold aside to pay the taxes on the ones that weren’t automatically withheld. She sent me a spreadsheet that showed what would be our tax responsibility on wins over two grand and up to a hundred fifty thousand bucks. She also said that the way the government worked each big win was a separate tax burden. So we created a second page of the spreadsheet to keep track of every jackpot over two thousand. Date and time, name and address of the casino, which of us actually won it, it was a great way to keep track and I made note to send Mrs. Adams an edible bouquet in thanks.

When we hit the strip, we split up. Helen found a Texas Hold ‘Em table. I went with the blackjack tables and we let Blair do her thing at the slots. She usually didn’t win huge, but she’d been making steady gains and we’d been playing off her winning since we left Oklahoma. So she went to play the machines and win enough to pay for dinner, hotel and gas. Or so we thought. I was heading to the cage to cash out my exceptional thirty-seven-thousand-dollar win…God bless the crazy European guy who just refused to give up. He totally made up for the almost four grand that I’d lost at the other table. We were still living by the whole ‘five hundred dollars of chips and you only play what you win thereafter’ rule set. The gambling gods had been kind. As I was approaching the cage, the place lit up like someone had let off some fireworks.

I may have been nosy, but I wanted to go and check it out, so I did. When I got to the Megabucks slot machine, Blair was looking at it with the craziest look I’d ever seen on anyone’s face ever. “What happened?” I asked as I pushed my way to her.

“What happened?” a woman who had to be seventy zillion years old shot back. “She won. She’s been cruising the floor looking at machines and shaking her head for the last fifteen minutes. So I asked her what was wrong, and she said she was almost out of her seed and so she was trying to feel which machine was a winner. It’s pretty light in here today, so nobody was bothered by it. She finally sat down at that machine over there and she won the jackpot. Twenty-nine million, three hundred and thirty thousand, five hundred and ninety-six dollars and twenty-two cents. We ain’t seen a slot pay out like that in Caesar’s since the ninties.”

Blair looked up at me and simply pointed at the machine. “ZEE!!!”

“Blair Baby…you won.” I told her with a wide eyed grin. “You won hella big.”

“What am I gonna do with all of that?” She sounded so scared.

I gave her a hug. “Well, first thing we’re gonna do is go and but those parcels of land on either side of Slickback’s and make the arrangements to have the utility lines laid. Then we’re going to get with Eliot and have him draw up the paperwork to make you and Slickback equal partners.”

She shook her head. “No, you too. All three of us. Perfect thirds. We wouldn’t be doing any of this without you.”

“I don’t have that much.” I said honestly.

“I don’t care. You have everything that’s sitting in your bank account for your buy in. If I have to I will give you whatever you need to be equal. Hell, you deserve a third just for all the work you’ve put in thinking about things me and Slickback would never know to do. Like making the place fit in with the rest of the town or making it a destination for the rich and famous or even the whole revenue stream thing.” She stated definitively. She would not be dissuaded.

For me that meant that I would have to feel like I’d earned my place. So I put her in contact with Puck’s Uncle Saul and before we even left Vegas to head to Goldfield, he had sent us, what was basically a run-down of how he wanted her to let him invest everything that wasn’t needed for the venture to give her the retirement of a queen and to give them, well us, operating capital until the venture was up and running fully. We made it to Goldfield and with Slickback on the cell phone to introduce us to the contacts he’d been working with, Blair owned the three-acre lot next to the one Slickback had gotten at the auction and I owned the five acres directly across the street. Helen had wisely pointed out that across the street would be a better place to put the hotel for people who wanted somewhat plausible deniability.

With the extra land on the side, we’d actually be able to put in a great pool and pool house behind the main building and put the dorms on Blair’s lot. Talking through the plan helped me make a list of what I needed to do for the blueprints and everything. Before we left Goldfield we made arrangements to be back as soon as we had all our paperwork in order. We drove back to Vegas and turned in my rental then caught the train back to Stillwater. As soon as I saw Slickback, I put the original ten grand he’d given us back in his hand. Eliot, Slickback’s lawyer, had already gotten the paperwork started before we left to do the five-fifteen-eighty partnership…it didn’t take him half an hour to draw up the paperwork for SBX, Inc. An equal three-way partnership. He let me scan it and send it to Ethan Harris who’d always told all of us in the KAMA crew that he was there for us for legal things. Ethan was so awesome, maybe thirty minutes later, he sent it back with a few changes. Then Eliot went back over it and we all signed it. The agreement stipulated that despite the different amounts we were putting in, just a hair under a million from Slickback, four million from Blair and a million from me, even though technically that million was a hundred thousand of my savings and winnings, and nine hundred thousand from Blair though she refused to let it say that…and yes she and I had to sign something to stipulate that it wasn’t a loan it was a one-time gift, or something like that.

Eliot filed the corporation paperwork online in Nevada. Since the brothel would operate there and was only legal there…it was the best way to go. It cost us twenty-five bucks to register our name with the Nevada Secretary of State with the three of us as the partners. It was a longer process, but we had ninety days to complete it. Eliot sent us home with a bunch of things we needed to get done to get it all completed. Over the rest of my stay, we had prepared and filed the Articles of Incorporation, filed the List of Officers and submitted the application for the state business license. We’d already amended the licensure for Esmeralda County to include me and Blair. That was the main one we needed to legally run our brothel. But the state one would cover both businesses, the brothel and the hotel. It was easy to set up a registered agent in place. By the time I headed back to New York, we’d gotten Helen a rental house in Goldfield. She was decently smart and she was loyal and honest. Plus, she had no problem with going out there by herself and setting up residency. Living by herself was something she loved. She had an employment contract, we got her a dependable car and paid for her to go to bartender school. She was ridiculously happy with the thought of coming up with signature drinks for the place.

Also, before my return trip to Queens, I’d customized and ordered the blueprints for both dorms and the hotel. When I did fly back, Blair came with me. While we were handling Blair’s business, Slickback went out to Goldfield to get the utility line work started. Saturday while I was at work, she took a few tours of the city. Sunday we went window shopping at Macy’s and a few other places that I still wasn’t secure about going…unless there was no choice. She had a meeting with Saul Mayzer that Monday immediately after Christmas. He did exactly what he’d said he was going to do. He helped us make sure that the taxes were paid correctly. He helped Blair invest another five million of her winnings in an investiture to handle the operating costs, and the rest of what was left over was put into some high yield bonds and such for her future. She made me the beneficiary on all the things and I couldn’t understand why. So she threw my words back at me. “I’ve got money now…what kind of sister type person would I be if I didn’t try and look out for you too?”

So I just rolled with it. She teased me crazy for the fact that I was still living about like I had in Stillwater. But it was what I was comfortable with, so she let that shit drop. There were a few other things that we had to do for her before she left, including introducing her to my peeps. All in all, we probably had more fun on the trip to Reno that stopped in Vegas. But we reconnected for real. It was great. I could official count two thousand-fourteen as the single best year I’d even had since my parents disappeared from my life…I couldn’t wait to see how the hell twenty-fifteen was going to top it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the Delay...I know that you were looking for this yesterday, but my real job didn't let me get to my home until almost nine last night. After that, I was too tired to post.
> 
> Let me know what you though. I hope that you all love it.
> 
> I'm working seriously long hours at work right now...which might be great for my bank account...not so great for my writing time. Fortunately, I'm two chapters ahead so I shouldn't get behind at the writing...just the posting. For the next few weeks to a month, updates will be either later Friday or sometime Saturday.
> 
> Sorry y'all...but the real job gotta come first.
> 
> Anyway...drop me a review and let me know what you think of the chapter. Comments make everything better.
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	10. Some Day at Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Santana tells us about Bartana's Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories
> 
> Special thanks to Isis Aurora Tomoe who is my current Beta rock star

Santana PoV

I was getting really fucking sick of Rachel Barbra Berry. That bitch just didn’t know when or how to stop. One would have thought that after her unsuccessful attempt to have me branded the most salacious teacher’s pet of all time failed so spectacularly, she would have rethought going after me and mine. But no that bitch had to go after Artie. They both think I don’t know it was her, but the stupid ho’s YouTube alias was the Spanish translation of Gold Star. I wasn’t stupid and I spoke Spanish like I spoke English so I knew it was her that posted the video of those dickless wonders pushing my man out of his chair and down some steps. To catch a video like that from beginning to end the person with the camera had to expect what was about to go down. To have that kind of foreknowledge of some shit like what happened to Artie, it meant that she was seriously in on it. Given that very few dudes were willing to go all in on picking on a person in a wheelchair without getting something out of it. Or someone convincing them that it was a good idea. I was pretty sure that Manhands had learned some new tricks from her manwhore of a boyfriend. She’d then used them to aim the dickheads at my man and that shit pissed me all the way off.

I was too pissed to allow Artie’s piddly little hacker-vengeance to be all that happened to her. So I started to pay some serious attention to which professors she had and what she’d been up to while I was enjoying my life and not thinking about her, at all. When I found out that she’d had the lead in the revival of ‘Funny Girl’ and didn’t even make it to opening night because she couldn’t hack it and her understudy was almost a shoe-in for the Tony for it…it was almost as if Christmas had come early. Now I resisted my first impulse to shove that knowledge in her stupid face. Instead, I simply held it in reserve for the right time. The right time came sooner than I’d have believed. One of the things Artie had done was to basically get a copy of everything Manhands did in the registrar’s office. So the second she set her classes for the spring semester, Artie knew it and therefore so did I. When I saw that she was enrolled in a class taught by Cassandra July, I could have wept with pure joy.

Crazy July was a former Broadway star who ended up crashing and burning after taking the completely understandable action of destroying an audience member’s phone when the douche had the temerity to let that bitch ring during one of her performances. To be honest, I’d have done the same damn thing in her position. That shit was ridiculously disrespectful to the performers. Now she taught classes at NYADA, AMDA and NYU. July hated people like Rachel, those people who were so damn sure that they were the end all and be all of talent. For the most part, again she was right. They tended to be pretty much unteachable because they were so sure that they knew more than anyone else. Before we’d left for Christmas, I got my happy ass in her class. It took me no time at all to get the full read on her. During the short meeting we’d had to let her see my moves and get the paperwork in place for me to join her class, I matched her snark for snark…fifteen minutes later, she was treating me like Coach Sue treated Que, Britts and Me our senior year. She even said that she’d be using me to illustrate a few dances for the arthritic urchins that popped up in her classes thinking that they could dance. I mentioned that I wasn’t sure if it was such a great idea since I’d heard that Berry was in her class and told her about the shit Berry had pulled the semester before. July looked at me and smirked. “I saw her name on the roster…saw the letter a few years back about her. In fact…nice work. Way to slaughter her reputation before she even got to town. I thought your name was familiar. So what, you’re coming to the class to make her world hell?”

I smiled. “Look I’ll lay it on the line. The chick is completely bat shit crazy. Me being in the class added to your teaching methods and the fact that she dances like a lumbering, crack addled preying mantis yet thinks she is the second coming of Anna Pavlova…is going to knock her off the rails. I just want a ring side seat to watch her downfall.” I may have also let slip about the whole deal with her losing a part to her understudy due to her own hubris too.

July’s answering smirk was all kinds of evil and really made me wonder if when Sue had had her eggs frozen in the late eighties…naw. That thought was too frightening to complete. Still I left that office with a smile on my face and a bounce in my step. I joined Artie for lunch and we got the word that KAMA was now Grammy nominees. Then to cap off the damn near perfect day, I looked hot like fire at the Christmas party. I had found a gorgeous red lace, cold shoulder, midi dress on sale and I was looking hot like fire. The week turned out to be the greatest ever and that was before I opened the envelope to find some serious gift card coinage. Then the month became even better when I slammed my exams. I mean I crushed those bitches. We had Hanukkah dinner with Bubbie Ruth and Nikki the night before my last exam and I got to spend some time with my beloved my goddaughter. She had the best reactions to all of the gifts she got. I personally was pretty sure that she liked the collection of magnetic gemstone earrings that I gave her the best.

We flew to Dayton the very next day and, seriously, I hated sleeping alone. It sucked orangutan ass. I wasn’t sure what to do about it though. At least I wasn’t until mom and I were out shopping and she made a comment that I’m sure she didn’t realize was going to spark my thought process. “You know, your bosses’ house is finally finished. I was talking with Rebecah Altman and she told me that it cost a lot less than they thought it would to build it, even with all the changes they made from the original plans. She isn’t sure what George is going to do next. Well they have our commercial property that he’s handling the renovations on, so I guess there is that. But even that should be done in a couple of months or so.”

“So, in January, February?” I asked leadingly.

My mother put back the truly adorable Gucci dress back and turned to look at me. My mother had always been able to read my mind. I was a little scary when one considered that it was probably because we were that much alike. “Are you thinking about the three of you getting your own place?”

I shrugged. “Well, I might be starting to thinking about it.” I said honestly. “I love having time with you two…but I miss waking up with Artie and Brittany. I miss rolling around the kitchen on Artie’s lap singing while we get our breakfast together. I miss stretching out with Brittany before we shower and get dressed for the day.”

Mom looked thoughtful. “Elaine mentioned the other day at the club, that there was a one and half acre lot still for sale on the same street your friend’s house is on. You three could get it for a song. You make enough money to be able to afford it. I’m sure that your father and I can help you with some of the building cost. Even more…I’m pretty sure that Sander will have a hell of a lot of fun designing a floor plan that will work for Artie.” I was glad that she understood and was good with the idea of me moving out in a more permanent way. It wasn’t that I didn’t love my parents, I just loved my boo thangs just as much.

I chuckled. Sam was just like his father. So something like that would amuse Sander or Sam greatly. “I don’t want to deal with finding a designer or something. Would you want to do it?”

The way her eyes lit up you’d have thought I was giving her the freaking Holy Grail. “Does the Pope shit on a golden throne?”

I looked at her. “You’re going to have to change that one, Mami…I don’t see Pope Francis as being the kind of pope who would agree with that kind of avarice.”

She pouted. “I’ve been saying that forever.” She huffed. “Didn’t he get the memo that priests are only subject to the vow of poverty until they make it to the upper management?”

“Sorry Mami…but Pope Francis takes his shit way more seriously than his predecessors.”

She nodded. The truth was that we were Catholics, but we’d never experienced a pope like Pope Francis. It was pretty awesome. “So…let me talk to Brits and Wheels…see what they think.”

My boos and I didn’t get a chance to see each other until the following Saturday. We had to keep ourselves satisfied with sexting and talking to each other on the phone while our parents got their fill of family time. Not that we didn’t want to spend time with our parents or whatever, but we loved and missed each other. Saturday, we met for brunch at the diner. As soon as we had exchanged our kisses and hugs…which may have gotten a little heated…I hipped them to the discussion mom and I had had when we were shopping at the mall.

“If we’re going to get a house of our own, and I really, really want to, why don’t we just buy a house that’s already been built?” Brittany asked in confusion. “Wouldn’t that be quicker?”

Artie raise his hand as if to say it was his fault. “Most houses aren’t built to ADA compliance. It would cost more to buy an ABB house and get it renovated to fit my needs, than it would to just start from the ground up. If we do this, I want a pool and a hot tub.”

I rolled my eyes. “Dude…if we do this, those would have to come later. As it is, we’re going to have to take out a loan once we buy the land to cover the cost of the build.”

Brittany looked thoughtful. “As long as we spend less than four hundred thousand on the build, we could probably pay that off in five point three five years. Then, we’d be able to build the pool with just six months of savings at the same rate we were repaying the loan.” She had the most awe inspiring mind when it came to numbers.

“But this won’t be easy. We’re really busy. How are we going to get it done? Is it worth it when we’ll only be here like what three or four weeks a year?” Artie always had to be the voice of reason.

I gave him a hard look. “Oh, I don’t know…will it be worth it to get to wake up together at Christmas and Thanksgiving like we do in the brownstone? Will it be worth it not to have to spend days apart when ever we’re her in Lima?”

“Okay, you raise a valid point. It is worth it.” He nodded. “So what do we do?”

I laid out what I’d been able to find out about everything about the whole deal. “We need an architect…Mami said that Mr. Evans would probably love the challenge of doing the ADA design. Plus, you know that he’ll give us a break on the cost of him doing it for keeping it in the family. The same with Mr. Altman and Mami said that if we try to give her money for doing the interior design she will smack us.”

Brittany looked thoughtful. God she was beautiful when that sillily brilliant brain of hers was working. “I think we should do it. Its near Cedes and Puck and Sam…without being right there with them. It’s on the same side of town as our parents, but it would be ours.”

“But what about the dream house in LA?” I asked cautiously. I really wanted to do it, but I hadn’t thought about the effect it would have on dreams we’d already planned.

“Well, the house in the Hollywood hills with the elevator so it can be a full on mansion was always going to wait until you had your first album out and I had come up the rungs of the director career ladder at least a little bit.” Artie shot back. “By then this house will be all paid off and we can keep it for holidays and shit like that.”

“Good point.” I chuckled. “Should I text Mami and tell her to start thinking about which color of eggshell will be perfect for the foyer?” I asked the two people who I loved more than life itself. With their agreements, I texted Mami that we were going to do build the house in Lima. She texted me back a series of questions we’d need to answer to even be able to start the process. So over the next hour or so, we ate a delicious brunch, we talked through the specs we wanted for the house. In no time at all we decided on that we wanted four bedrooms, including a master suite. I argued for four full bathrooms and a powder room for company. Artie was good with a private master bathroom and then one other one since bathrooms were pretty expensive to create. Eventually we compromised on three and a half.

Brittany, however, would not be swayed from a three bay garage. “It needs to be three bays so if Artie doesn’t get a car or something, he can close it off and create a huge editing bay and computer haven.” She remained very firm. So…three car garage for the win. We all agreed that a single hardwood throughout was the best choice for us and that we wanted to do a green build. By the time we finished brunch and had taken a nice long walk to work off all the food, we were finally able to head to the Abrams’ house…which we had prior knowledge would be empty from around two until we all had dinner together at eight. We spent those six hours making mad, passionate love to each other. Brittany was getting ridiculously good with her strap on. And Artie’s tongue was a thing of pure beauty. After we realized that we only had about thirty minutes before we were supposed to meet all the parental units at Breadstix, we hurriedly showered and brushed our teeth. We threw on our clothes and managed to get over to the restaurant only ten minutes late.

I should have known that Mami would have already brought the Abrams and the Pierces up to date on the Bartana Old Lima Home initiative. She had called her frenemy Elaine Sanko, the real estate agent who would totally steal Dad if she could which wasn’t allowed among the swinger’s set…you weren’t supposed to scam to take another’s partner…that was like rule two. Rule one was always wrap the dong…unless you’re with your partner. I’d looked them up and kind of memorized them when I was twelve and realized that Mami and Papi’s weekends away was really them heading to Findlay to play with their swing crew. Probably Mami could have slapped the shit out of Elaine and gotten her kicked out the club, but my mother was a firm believer in the old adage ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’. Besides, gossip had it that her partner had a tongue that made Gene Simmons’ seem short and stumpy.

While we were discussing what we wanted in the house and making love, our parents were moving mountains. Mama went all in really quickly. “Alright, we’ve talked with Elaine and there are two separate parcels of land both are on the same cul-de-sac as your friend’s home. One is one and half acres and one is a little smaller but still over an acre. She said that the whole area was originally going to be a subdivision. They even had the signage up; Wildbrook Estates was the name. But when the economy tanked, the developer went belly up and his creditors are trying to recoup their losses.”

Gwen chimed in there. “That was why Cedes, Sam and Puck were able to get their land for so cheap. Unfortunately the developer has sold some more plots and are feeling a little cocky. When they were desperate, they took under seventy thousand for two acres. Now they want seventy five for either of the two parcels.”

“Let me guess, word got out that it was KAMA building the big house at the back of the roundabout and people started snatching up the land nearby.” I said cynically.

Papi shook his head. “That was only part of it. It’s on the outskirts of the McKinley school cluster. But it does feed into McKinley High. Shelby is now known as the star maker. People are flocking to the cluster. They are buying and building homes where ever they can to have their children go to her school.” He smirked. “We’ve had several offers on our house and it isn’t even listed.”

Chris nodded. “We’re actually thinking about downsizing. If you guys have your own place, we could make quite a bit of profit by selling now while the interest in the area is so high. But anyway, I still think that when it comes to buying your land, you guys have the benefit of the knowledge of the real cost of the land. I suggest that you offer them seventy thousand even if you choose the larger parcel. The worst that can happen is they say no and you have to counter offer.”

“We’d like to help you out a little bit.” Roger said quietly. Sometimes I wondered how two such quiet people could have someone who lived life as loud as Artie tended to. “Without going into specifics, Gwen said that you have enough in savings to buy the lot, but none of us want to see you wipe out your nest egg this early. So each parental couple is going to give you ten thousand towards the purchase of your land. That leaves you with forty to forty-five to put in yourselves.”

I started to argue…but Britts grabbed my hand and shook her head. “Thanks Mommy and Daddy, Mami and Papi and Mama Gwen and Papa Roger. We really appreciate it.” She smiled happily even though me and our boyfriend were looking at her like she’d grown another head.

Melanie gave her a smile. Then she turned to SmArtie and I. “Trust me, the argument wouldn’t have been worth it. We’d already made up our minds that we were going to go up in our contributions every time you tried to get us to change our minds.” She laughed. “Now tell me about our niece and nephew. I still can’t believe that you three get to see them all the time.”

We let the subject get changed for a while and we talked about her niece and nephew who also happened to be my newest aunt and uncle. Teodore and Tesora were beautiful and healthy and they would be three months old on Christmas Eve. They were wildly intelligent…and Teo was already giving people devious smiles. That was my little Tio. Once we had entertained Mami and Melanie with tales of our shared babies, the conversation turned to the twitter beef we’d missed earlier that centered around Cedes not giving some entitled whiner baby an autograph at her brother’s graduation. Like that was a place that you bothered someone for an autograph. I checked my twitter feed and sure enough I saw that Berry had done her best to fan the fucking flames. Stupid perra. I looked over at my man and decided that he and I needed to see about a little cyber retaliation. Maybe pirating her accounts and using them to completely shred the broad. I’d have to think about it. I didn’t really want to mess up my plans for the next semester. July had told me that we’d be working some stage combat practice into the class as well. The idea of ‘accidentally’ connecting with a haymaker or something equally fun when there would be no reprisals was really, really satisfying.

That took the parents on a tangent into entitlement and the impatience of young people today. That was pretty awesome because somehow it went from the youth to the government. My parents were like super liberals on a whole lot of issues so they tended to vote democratic. The Abrams were Jewish and they tended to vote democratic. Britt’s parents…they were so WASP the only person I knew who voted more conservatively was Russell Fabray. My mother may not have often acted like it, but she knew her shit and she read like six different news sources on the daily. It was a rigorous debate. One from which I actually learned a few things. Soon they decided to bring the topic back around to something they could all agree on, the property and keeping their kids rooted in Lima. So we shared with them the things we’d decided on. Thankfully it was enough to start with. Mami was happy. Gwen felt we were being very responsible and I was relieved that no one had asked us why we didn’t have even more saved.

The truth of that wasn’t revealed to our parents, and partially to each other until Christmas Eve. Artie, Britts and I had let our parents know, in no uncertain terms that we were going to spend the twenty-third together at the Wyndham and wake up together on Christmas Eve morning and exchange gifts. Then we’d wake up alone on Christmas morning and have ‘yeah family time’ then. We’d created a special account and moved ten grand from each of our savings accounts and put it towards our ‘commitment rings’. Really though, me and Britts just wanted some fly ass engagement rings. I wanted big enough to slap someone in the face without even lifting my hand and Brittany wanted something traditional and yet unique and pretty. It had taken Artie and I hours of looking through the websites of local Manhattan jewelers to find something that we were sure she would love. Of course, I didn’t consciously allow myself to realize that he and she were doing the same for me. Britts and I actually went to Saks, Neiman, Nordstrom and Tiffany’s to look through their men’s rings in person.

The big dinner with our parents definitely helped them loosen the chokehold they had on our time. So Artie, Brittany and I were able to spend some with each other and when Commune needed our help with getting their massive house ready for the holiday…we were able to dip over and lend a hand. Artie and Brittany were actually able to help a lot since, while the house wasn’t fully accessible, with its elevator, wide halls and big bathrooms, it was pretty damn close. Of course, then that ill shit went down with my former mall employers and Big D, Baby Puck and Brother K at Kay jewelers. I wished I could say I was shocked, but there was a reason I was happy to tell that place to kiss my ass when it was time to head to NYC. They taught you to profile people and then claimed that profiling based on race was wrong. Which it was, the best way to determinate who would steal wasn’t the color of their skin…it was their age and if they looked like entitled assholes who didn’t have the money for what they were sure they deserved. Yeah, I was pissed and let all my fifty-seven hundred twitter followers know exactly why before I started getting dressed for the biggest date of my life.

We started our night with dinner at the Old City Prime steakhouse. It was one of the few Lima Restaurants that necessitated a reservation and where you could almost guarantee that neither the wait staff nor the clientele were still in high school. Before we left Manhattan, I’d gotten a dress just for that night. Even Brittany hadn’t seen it yet. It wasn’t at all my usual style, but when I’d tried it on…I knew that the green silk with matching lace overlay was perfect. The silk part of the Tadashi Shoji dress had a modest but wide v neckline and followed my curves to its hem which stopped a little above half-way down my thighs. The floral lace overlay was pretty and soft. It was a shade darker than the silk and gave the dress sleeves and a more modest knee length hemline. It was a gorgeous dress, but it was soft and not at all my usual thing…yet it expressed exactly how my SmArtie and Brittany made me feel. Like it was okay to be soft and pretty rather than hard and sexy. I did add some serious sexy with the shoes though. The black, leather, double strap Mary Janes with their four-inch stiletto heels from Alexandre Birman were sexy and yet a little coy. They were some seriously awesome shoes. With my hair curled and looking soft and romantic…I was the absolute shit.

Or that was what I thought until Brittany S. Pierce walked into the restaurant. She was wearing a pretty but sexy as hell floral print sheath dress that had lace at the V neck. The dress was dark enough for a cold winter’s night and with its long sleeves, it was way more weather appropriate than mine…but at the same time, with its sheer sleeves and the lace, it was whimsical enough to let everyone know that weather hadn’t been a factor in her picking the dress. She’d paired it with a great pair of nude, pointed toe heels and little to no other accessories. It was a look comprised of clean lines that just showcased her beauty without much unnecessary embellishment. Artie was the last of us to arrive, as he always was when his parents drove him. Gwen and Roger Abrams both drove ridiculously slow. Okay…maybe they drove the speed limit, but I considered that ridiculously slow. He was looking fly as hell in a pair of dark slacks and matching dinner jacket with a blinding white dress shirt and a tie that managed to convey the whole Christmas-red and green-thing without looking like a Christmas tie. When he was shown to the table, our waiter looked at me like, ‘I finally understand’ why you had me remove two chairs, but only one place setting’.

We quickly decided on our appetizer and ordered sodas. Since Artie and I weren’t twenty-one yet, we knew we wouldn’t be able to count on a Lima restaurant valuing our green more than their licenses…so we went for the non-alcoholic drinks only. Before the waiter came back with our drinks we were all giggling at being at a grown up restaurant in Lima…that was all kinds of weird, no matter where we usually went for dates in New York. I had to say the crab stuffed mushrooms and millionaire bacon were just as good as anything we’d tried in Manhattan. We laughed and just chatted our way through the first course. Once we placed our entrée orders, that was when things got deep. Brittany looked at me and we both nodded. She and I talked about breaking our tradition and giving Artie his ring first. It was something we felt we should do because even going to Tiffany’s we’d spent far less on his ring than had been spent on either of ours. Brittany gave me a look that demanded that I go first.

So I reached across and took Artie’s hand. “SmArtie…you have been the best boyfriend that I never knew I wanted. Two years ago, me and Britts invited you into our relationship and you’ve completely changed everything, almost all of it for the better I still hate always being the middle spoon…but I’m willing to deal with that to make you happy.” I rolled my eyes teasingly.

Brittany grabbed his other hand and continued from there. “It’s like God took the best parts of me and Santana and made you and you create a bridge between us that Tana would never have admitted was necessary.”

I nodded. “He, well maybe She…this is some quality work and as much as I love you, I’m still not convinced that a guy could do such a good job. Besides the bible says that we’re made in God’s image and it is women who create new life.” I stopped myself. I hate it when I sound like Evans, but that debate in class had been a blast and whenever I think about it, I tend to babble a little bit. “As I was about to say She made you for me and Brittany, and we’re keeping you…so we decided that we should put a ring on it.” I went into my bag and pulled out the Tiffany’s box.

He smiled and opened it to find a really shiny platinum double milgrain wedding band ring. The ring was wide and masculine. Brittany and I decided that the two lines of the milgrain that went around the ring symbolized the two of us. Plus, it was to most expensive male ring that didn’t look like it was meant for a chick like Xena…or Hummel. “Well…What can I say but yes. I love you two too much to let anyone come between us. I appreciate having a tangible expression of our commitment to each other.” I smirked and pulled the ring from the box and Brittany and I put it on his left hand together. It looked good there. It looked right.

Artie looked over at me and I gave my head slight nod indicating that I wanted Brittany to get her ring next. It had taken us some serious looking to find Brittany’s ring. We’d started by going to the sites of Manhattan jewelers, but hadn’t found anything that just smacked us and said it was the right ring for our golden girl. Then we’d tripped over it at a jeweler with locations in Minnesota and Los Angeles. We’d learned a lot about ring buying in getting her ring. We’d found it and dithered for a while since the site said that the cost of the ring in platinum was only fifty-eight hundred and it was only a little over one and three quarters carats. But when we found out that that was just for the setting…not the center diamond of the hand engraved rose shaped ring. We were much happier. We added a gorgeous one and a half carat center stone to the ring and brought the price tag up to a much more respectable eleven grand. No way in hell either of us wanted to get Brittany some cheap piece of shit just because we knew she wasn’t about the whole material life.

Just as Artie was about to say something deep and meaningful, Brittany started bouncing in her seat. “Yes, I know and I love you too and I want to marry you and have your and Santana’s babies and have lady kisses and robot kisses forever.” She almost shouted holding out her left hand for us to put the ring on her. The second she saw it she squealed in rapturous delight. “I love it. It’s perfect. It’s pretty and unique and its mine from you two.” She said happily. “Artie…let’s give Tana her ring so we’re all sealed up, right and tight.”

I sighed. “Brittany…we kind of had a whole speech to say to you.” Artie finally said pointedly.

She just nodded distractedly. “I know and you and Tana can say it to me when we’re making love later. But now I want us to give Santana her ring so we’re all committed and everyone knows it.”

I smiled to let Artie know that I was good with her plan. But of course, he had to be him…which meant he was just a touch snarky when he asked our fiancée if they were also going to tell me their well thought out speeches later as well and I was actually a little relieved. Public displays of emotions kind of bothered me a little…a lot when they were directed at me. So he and Brittany gave me pretty purple ring box. Inside I found a gorgeous three carat diamond solitaire set in platinum ring that boasted three smaller diamond set into the shank of the ring on either side of the center stone. The cut of the center stone was strange and I noticed that it was almost octagonal. I loved it. They took care of me as we’d done each of them, taking the box back, removing the ring and slipping it onto the ring finger of my left hand as one. As the metal warmed to my skin, I felt perfectly, completely whole.

When our waiter appeared with our meals, we may have been ignoring the world to express our happiness and joy at our more visible commitment by getting our macks on. It was a well-known fact among those who knew me that I loved to eat. Especially in fancy restaurants. Back in high school, Breadstix had been the fanciest restaurant that we could really go to. It had pissed me off to no end, but my parents were firm believers in the idea that they were rich, and I certainly benefited from that…but they made sure I knew that I wasn’t rich. So I didn’t have a super huge allowance like Fabray had had before she let Puckerman’s swimmers invade her uterus. And most of the time they went really fancy places I was either with a babysitter, or I was out on my own dates. As much as I hated to admit it, that had probably made me at least somewhat of a decent human being. Still, lunch at the Russian Tea Room junior year had opened my eyes. I loved fancy, toi-toi food. Artie and Brittany indulged me in that at first, but as we discovered more and more chi-chi Manhattan restaurants, they too had developed a love of food exploration.

They had also gotten used to the fact that I was going to order whatever looked the best on the menu regardless of the price. That evening was no exception. Since we were at a steakhouse, of course, I’d ordered a steak. The USDA prime, bone-in, thirty-five day dry aged, Kansas City strip with pan seared broccolini and caramelized Brussels sprouts…and since it wasn’t the first or last nights of Hanukkah, I added a lobster tail. If I ate seafood around the Jewish High holidays, Artie wouldn’t kiss me…so I tried to remain respectful of his religion. However, since it wasn’t a high holiday, Artie got his premium, center cut, bacon wrapped Filet Mignon covered with sautéed sweet onions and gourmet mushrooms. Brittany chose the chicken breast picatta. Out of love for me, she ordered a half pound of king crab legs too. The food was awesome. The steaks cooked perfectly medium. The lobster and crab were both deliciously sweet. The drawn butter they were served with was almost creamy, though melted. The vegetables were all very well done. Artie’s sautéed redskin potatoes were so good I wished I’d been less good and ordered the carbohydrate myself. Brittany’s creamed spinach was good enough to edge them out just a little bit though.

When the waiter had shown back up with refills without us having to make gestures or anything, I thought that he was getting better than he’d started off the night. When he was kind enough to explain the idea of bread pudding to Britts and didn’t even flinch when she still ordered the chocolate cake instead I was prepared to tip him very well. But then it came time to bring us the bill. Now, the reservation had been in my name. I’d been the one dominating the orders and directing him all evening. I was the one who asked for the bill. Why did his senseless ass take it to Artie? And that was despite me having my hand out for it. I was pissed as hell. “Hey, societal misogyny isn’t a myth and you just exhibited it. I’m the one with the hand out for the fucking check, so how about you pass it to me.” I hissed just loud enough to make sure that my point was made. He at least was smart enough to apologize, but Artie still had to hand it to me. When he came back, I handed him the card holder with my platinum credit card…my bank had recently given me an upgrade. I gave him a pity ten percent tip. I usually gave twenty to twenty-five.

Since I’d been kind of glutinous, after we moved my car from the restaurant to the hotel we took a nice long walk. It was cold as hell, but still it was really nice. Plus too, we started making out so by the time we made it back into our room we were seriously horny. Artie had booked the room and I was surprised that he hadn’t gotten the accessible room. Choosing instead to get us a Jacuzzi room. Brittany had them bring up a bottle of champagne…yes they carded her, but thankfully not Bluetooth or me. So we ran a bath, helped Artie in and we drank bubbly and celebrated our coming together…by coming together. I bounced on SmArtie’s dick while he and I ate Brittany’s pretty little cunny until she almost passed out and suffocated us. It was hot as fire. Then Britts took Art-man’s magic stick for a ride while they shared some cream pie. Eventually we were exhausted and lay there together talking. Artie and I gave Brittany our speeches about how beautiful she was and how lucky we were to have her. How she was the calming influence in two people who should get gold medals in Olympic snarking and bitchery. Then they told me how much they loved my protective and caring nature and all the things I brought to the relationship. It wasn’t that we completed each other, we were already whole people. But what we did was complement each other and make each other better, stronger and that was exactly how it should have been.

We slept together that night. Deeply and so long that we’d almost missed our checkout. But it would have totally been worth the extra charge if we had. Sleeping alone had meant that none of us had slept very well since we’d gotten back to Lima. The only bad part was that we’d slept so late that we ended up doing what basically amounted to a walk of shame. Waking up ten minutes before checkout meant that we literally just threw on what we’d had on the night before, balled our dirty panties and Artie’s boxers up and tossed them into the front of my overnight bag and got down to the front desk by two til ten. When we got into my car, we were giggling like crazy. It just struck us as funny that we’d wasted so much of the night we’d looked forward to so much sleeping. We sat there and exchanged our other gifts. Artie had gotten me a beige Gucci Survie plaid fox-trimmed scarf that I’d been drooling over when we were looking for something suitable for Britts at Neiman’s. He had gotten her an Alexander Wang cross body handbag…Brittany found his name hilarious. Every time she saw a display of his things she giggled for like fifteen minutes. Now she can giggle like that even when she doesn’t go to a store.

Brittany knew my love of all things food as much as Artie did. She’d gotten me four different monthly food subscriptions…one was all cured meats, one was chocolates and nuts, one was just different kinds of bacon and the last one was gourmet treats. I absolutely loved it. Almost as much as she loved the 2015 spring Here & Now season tickets to the NYC Ballet that I’d gotten the three of us. SmArtie and I would suffer through anything for our girl. I’d gone with the Here and Now Series because they were supposed to be of innovative ballets, not just the same old same old. Hopefully that would mean that Bluetooth and I would be able to stay awake. Brittany and I each gave Artie tickets for the fifty-third annual NYC Film Festival and the fourteenth annual Tribeca Film Festival respectively. After properly expressing our gratitude I drove them back to their homes before going home myself. I took a long, hot shower and threw on some boy shorts and a racerback tank. I was more than a little surprised to see my mother waiting on me when I entered my bedroom. “I wanted to catch you before you take your nap.” She said way too happily. “Show me what your loves got you.” So I showed her saving the best for last. “Holy Mary, Madre de Dios.” She breathed. “Your ama did you right. That is a gorgeous ring.” Then she grabbed my hand, looked at it again, basically she mentally assessed the cut, quality and clarity of the diamond and SCREAMED. Papi came running in with a baseball bat. Never mind that it was the middle of the day.

Mami wrenched my hand over across my body to show Papi my engagement ring. “It’s really pretty, Mija. Can we see your ama’ rings?” he asked in his own quiet way. I went and grabbed my phone pulling up a picture of our three hands together showing our rings off. Eventually, the picture would make it on to social media, but not until after we cherished the news a bit and shared it with our family and friends.

Papi gave me a kiss on my forehead and kissed Mami in their usual, eeeww-ditional way and took his baseball bat and disappeared. As soon as she was sure that he was gone, Mami got an evil smile on her face. “I have some great ideas for your master suite.” She said happily. “I’ve found a place online that creates custom made beds and mattresses to fit. They aren’t even as expensive as one would think. I was speaking with the sales rep and he said that it is actually more common than you’d think and by combining the measurements for two king sized beds, there should be enough room for all eight of you and your ‘friends’ when you want to play here, like I’m sure you all play in your down time in New York.”

I looked at her like she’d grown three heads and two extra titties. “Mami…what do you think is going on at the brownstone?”

Mami shrugged. “I’m not judging or asking. I just assumed that you guys were taking advantage of the fact that you’re all young, reasonably attractive people.”

“I’m going to take the thruples out of the equation for a second. We’ll even table the whole commitment conversation since I know that you have a much more fluid definition of the word than I do. But, you do realize that Berry’s-not-evil-boy-twin and LadyFace are gay, right?”

My mother scoffed. “Oh please. I will give you that the Hummel boy is as gay as gay comes. But Analyn’s Blaine…that boy checks out the Jones girl’s las tetas as much as her boys and you do.” She shrugged again. “I just thought four bisexuals, two hetero, one homo with a noticeable interest in breast and one regular homosexual…it would be a good mix and a lot of fun. I’m not one to judge. Personally, in your shoes, I’d take full advantage. It just opens so many possibilities. But if you guys are not into that kind of thing…what can I say. So I suppose that a regular California king should be big enough for the three of you.”

I laughed at the fact that my mother was full on pouting over the fact that I was only in a committed polyamorous relationship and not a seriously complicated sexual commune with my other five roommates as well. “Yeah, Mami…it should be plenty big enough.” I stopped and looked back at her. “Oh and BT Dubs, I do not check out GalaNipples massive sweater puppies.”

“Sure… of course you don’t.” She said sounding completely disbelievingly. “Anyway…I’m having a motherly conundrum. I really wish that you didn’t have to go back so soon, but at the same time…I’m a little jealous at the fun you’re having. I mean red carpet events and Manhattan night life. What are you going to wear to the ‘uber’ club you told me you’re going to for New Year’s Eve.”

I laughed and showed her a picture of a red, pop over Likely Driggs dress. I had no plans to go shopping for anything extra since we were going to build the house, and I was more than determined not to have to get any extra help from the parents or whatever. Besides, I’d gotten the dress on sale in September and hadn’t worn it anywhere yet. It was strapless and stopped right under my knee. It was perfect because I could dress it up or down. I could dance my ass off and I looked more than incredible in the damn thing. I showed her the lariat necklace I had to go with it…but she didn’t like that. Instead she leant me her sixteen inch gold bib collar necklace. It was fly and it went even better with the other jewelry I’d been planning to wear. We talked and chatted as my mother carded her manicured fingers through my hair. I didn’t remember falling asleep, but I must have because the next thing I knew I was being woken up for dinner.

Christmas day flew by. My parents had gotten each other brand new luggage. When I asked about that…they told me that they were hoping to meet the tour in some of the bigger cities over the summer they were waiting on dates and to see which ones Benton and Danica Jones were going to. It was funny. I’d never really tried to be friends with Mercedes until we were both in glee club together, but Dad and the Drs. Jones had a good relationship my whole life. I think it was the whole medical professionals and people of color thing that they had bonded over. Mami also told me that they were hoping to maybe take a trip to Spain. So while they hadn’t spent super large amounts on each other, they were just planning to spend what they would usually spend over the course of the summer rather than all at once at Christmas. They also didn’t stop themselves from getting me a whole bunch of new clothes and shoes and gift cards. One of the pair of shoes Mami had gotten me was a pair of red, strappy, suede, peep-toe pumps by Gianvito Rossi. They were definitely being added to the outfit I’d constructed in my head for the night at Provocateur. The black boots I had in mind were good…but the Rossis were great.

Mami hadn’t felt like cooking and since it was just the three of us, we actually pulled a Christmas Story and went and had Chinese for Christmas dinner. We sat around talking and laughing and Mami and I looked through some home design sites to figure out what my style was. Papi just laughed at us…a lot. It was an almost perfect Christmas. The next morning, we hosted Papi’s cousins from Lima Heights Adjacent. We didn’t have the big family morning after Christmas breakfast every year…but whenever we had it, it was a ton of fun. Best of all my father’s only surviving aunt, Tia Rosita had remembered what I told her about the pot luck the year before and that we were doing it again. She brought a veritable cornucopia of Puerto Rican delights for us to take to the pot luck that afternoon. There were enough almoabanas, or corn fritters to feed a football team and so much of her Plaintain Fritters with Stewed Shrimp called tostones con camarones guisados that I was starting to wonder if Papi hadn’t specifically asked her to help us out. Shrimp in Ohio weren’t cheap and the Lopezes wouldn’t take much in the way of financial help from Papi…which was why they still lived in LHA. I had a great talk with my cousin Carlos. He’d just gotten out right before Tinsley made his way to the big leagues. The shit Carlos and his former cellmate had planned for that son of a goat fucking bastard had made me smile. It had been over a year since he’d first felt what women felt every time their begging and denials were ignored. But apparently Las Ñetas weren’t letting him get away with anything. Though they had backed off him earlier that year. According to Carlos’ old cellmate, Drigo, Tinsley was the one who killed Paul Puckerman. The investigation wasn’t over and might never officially be solved, but everyone in the cellblock knew the truth. That was some shit.

I contemplated for a long while how to get that information into the right hands. I never would have guessed that Quinn freaking Fabray would provide the answer. When she and I were talking at the potluck, she told me about the chaplain system in Ohio’s prisons. All I needed to know was the name of the prison and I could find out the name of the chaplain. I had that information within an hour of getting home. I even had his email address. I wanted to be very careful, so I broke into Rachel’s anonymous email account and sent him an email telling him that I was a recently released prisoner who was still in contact with his former cellmate and had found out that an inmate named Shane Tinsley had been the one to ‘do Puckerman’. I made up some story about getting clean and finding Jesus and wanting to do right by the poor guy’s family…especially since his only sin was having a son who had the woman Tinsley wanted and had been sent to jail for almost raping. Once it was sent, I deleted it from Rachel’s sent folder and set it so that any mail that came from the chaplain’s address would go into a locked and hidden folder I created in her email account. She’d never be able to keep me out. Not with such amazing passwords as ‘goldenBerry2’.

I packed and got some sleep. The next morning, Bluetooth, Britts and I had breakfast with all of our parents and I was shocked when Mami and Papi gave us each a ‘plane ticket’ to come home during the time ROUS, Trouty and Puck would be in Cali for the two January award shows. Since they weren’t performing, they were only taking Hudson and Haja with them. The rest of us were staying in Manhattan, and me and my boos original plan had been to just chill and get ready for school. But instead the parents had decided that we’d be coming back and meeting with Elaine and, hopefully, Sander. They had already set up a meeting for us with Wheezy and Puckerman’s uncles to get our ducks in a row as far as financing before we came back and we were to bring all that paperwork with us. I’d been ducking Ethan Harris. He was convinced that every member of KAMA’s entourage, band, managers…everyone…should all have wills just in case. The thought alone depressed me. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be leaving that meeting without getting my final behest down on paper.

We flew back to New York and had enough time to unpack, shower and get dressed in comfortable clothes before heading to the studio. We actually spent the first hour of the session catching up with the non-Limans in the crew and practicing and warming up. The set was good. We got the vocals background and main for two of the songs for KAMA’s next album as well as an instrumental and full version of a song that they were sending to some Hollywood fat cats to decide if they wanted it for a Johnny Depp movie. That night when we were back in our own bed, SmArtie, Britt Brat and I made love and slept like it was our damn jobs. I loved sleeping with my lovers. The band and background singers were back in the studio laying background tracks the next day. Monday it was back to all hands on deck in the studio. But Tuesday we were off. Well, mostly. My spouses and I had to go and see Ethan Harris.

I was right about him I left with a will. I was kind of surprised to find out that neither Artie nor Brittany had needed to be corralled into doing something that was a benefit for ourselves. We also left there with preapproval for a joint construction of up to four hundred thousand dollars. I kind of loved him for that. He even had the paperwork ready for us to get a more traditional mortgage when the house was built to pay off the construction loan. We’d then pay off the traditional mortgage. Come to find out that we’d be saving a significant amount on interest by buying the land outright and thanks to Gwen’s and Saul Mayzer’s early advice about building our credit. Those damn Harrises weren’t no joke. I was starting to seriously love them all. The next day was New Year’s Eve and Mercedes treated every female in the crew to a spa day at Faina. I thought Vince’s sister, Netta, was going to lose her mind. You could tell that she was seriously out of her element in a city like New York, but she was cool about it. She and I had a nice conversation where I informed her that her brother was official one of my people and if she ever broke his heart by getting back into the shit that was killing her before she got clean…or any other idiotic dependency that destroyed her body and mind…I’d gut her like a fucking fish with a smile on my face. She just looked at me like she was trying to read my soul and said she was grateful that Vince had someone like me in his corner. I was glad that we understood each other.

After a short bout of shopping, we returned to the brownstone and got dressed for our night out. I lotioned with a lotion with just a tiny bit of shimmer in it before I pulled on my candy apple red, very sexy, strapless bra and ignited red very sexy, strappy back cheeky panties. After making sure that my body was looking right and tight, I shimmied on my strapless, popover, cherry red dress. Brits did the buttons in the back of my dress and I zipped up her canary lace over nude silk Dress the Population mini dress for her. With that done, we both headed to our vanities and accessorized ourselves with our jewelry. We’d both decided to go with gold jewelry, mine was more bold and architectural and Brits was more light, airy and feminine…but what we’d selected worked well with our outfits. Artie was finished getting dressed. He’d donned a pair of dark designer corduroy pants…something he could pull off because he didn’t have to walk and therefore wouldn’t create that sound that everyone associated with the pants of death. His shirt was a black Robert Graham limited edition mask embroidered sport shirt that was kind of creepy, but looked hot. He’d done that thing he does with his hair that makes it look trendy and yet Artie at the same time. His only accessories were his commitment ring and the black and gray Movado 'Bold' leather strap watch that he’d gotten for Christmas.

As he ‘patiently’ waited, Brittany and I rushed around the room putting together our purses. Finally we made it downstairs. I looked around and could only think that we were some fly looking bitches and dudes. I was happy to see that I was the only one in red, though Netta accessorized with the color. I liked her well enough to let her have her pops of red. Quinn and Darcy were both in blue, but such different shades, only a woman would note the fact. Lauren’s chocolate brown, gold studded dress looked really good on her. Like Brittany and I, she was wearing gold jewelry, other than her white gold promise ring. I liked the fact that the ring wasn’t a promise to get engaged, they both considered themselves to be engaged, no it was a promise that he’d save up and get her a ring worthy of her. I looked down at my own platinum ring. The diamond sparkled with promise and love. Sure it didn’t go with the rest of the outfit…but no way in hell was I taking that bitch off my finger. 

The ride from the brownstone to the club was fun. We laughed. We teased Puck and Trouty for the way they were looking at their wifey. Together and separately, they were looking at Wheezy like they were day dreaming about slipping their hands into the thigh high slits in the legs of her super fine looking jumpsuit. One wouldn’t think jumpsuits would work given her lack of height and abundance of curves but she was doing some borderline indecent things to that one. Maybe Mami was right and I did check out Cedes massive flotation devices quite a bit more than I realized. When we arrived at the club, we proceeded from the vehicle to the loud adulation of the curious masses. Some of their guesses as to who different members of the entourage were was really funny. They were certain that Dev, Kev and James were all football players. And with Queen Quinn in her heirloom fur… I readily admit that I understood that assumption. But one idiot even thought that Artie was Stephen Hawking. Thankfully her friend pointed out that Artie had played guitar for KAMA on a couple of award shows. When Delantera and her boys got out, the line went completely crazy. That was really major. In a very few years, that was going to be how people reacted to me. I was determined to make that dream a muthafucking reality.

When we made it inside the club, we were ushered to the elevators and up to the VIP. After we took some pictures for Darcy, like she legit took solo, couple and group pictures of our whole clique. Lil Wayne and Drake and their posses were already there. Those two were no joke. Lil Wayne said that he was happy he’d decided to come out because ‘the chickababes were rolling way deep’. Too bad for his ass we were all taken. Still, he was certainly one to share and share alike. I don’t think he let me nor Brits pay for a single drink all night, even after we showed him our boss ass engagement rings. When we introduced him to Artie and he got that we were both with Bluetooth, he laughed and told SmArtie that he was the man. After that Artie didn’t have to pay for his drinks either. By the time midnight hit, we were well past tipsy and on the way to fucked up. However, Artie cut all three of us off on the alcoholic drinks after our midnight toast. Thank God he did. There were quite a few photogs outside the club when we left there around three. It wasn’t enough to feel besieged by paps…but I’d have been totally embarrassed to look like a drunk, sorority chick in front of them.

Hudson must have been looking out for us. Because when we got out of the limo at the brownstone, she had ibuprofen and bottled water waiting for us. I don’t even know when she managed to get that shit set up for us. But soon as we walked in she dished out two Advils and a bottle of Voss water. We took our medicine, emptied our water bottles, had hot, sweaty, raunchy sex and crashed hard. The next morning we started with a long hot shower that may have also included some slow sweet shower sex. I loved benches in showers and ours was perfect for Bluetooth to get clean without having to dry his chair out or something and for us to get our fucks on all the damn time. I didn’t get dressed beyond throwing on some yoga pants, a sports bra and one of SmArtie’s snarky tee shirts. Everyone was relaxed and had a blast playing with all the munchkins. Nikks, Beth and Robs. I guess some of us needs to have a masculine child eventually. But it wasn’t just the three of them. When Bubbie Ruth brought back those three, the Jovanman kids all joined us, even Jake and Tessa, the afternoon was way more fun that I’d ever admit.

Friday after everyone flew back to Lima we were back in the studio full time. Saturday too. We had Sunday off…which I was seriously happy about, because we were all kind of fucking tired and the natives were getting cranky as shit. Monday the band had the morning off while KAMA met with their management team. When we met at the studio after lunch, GalaNipples, Trouty and Satyr passed out the dates for the tour that we’d be going on next summer and some weekends of the fall. We also had a quick meeting where they told us that they would be hiring two more background vocalists and six more backup dancers just for the tour. Wheezy told me, SmArtie and Britt-Brat in confidence that boy and Girl Asians would be filling one of the singer and one of the dancer positions. By the end of our fifth studio session, KAMA, Haja and the producer, Kaytranada, were happy with a grand total of eight tracks.

That really was pretty good all things considered. I mean, on one of those songs, we’d laid background tracks for one song that would actually be re-recorded again with the full band just to give it an even fuller, more deep sound. That Monday, Justin came in with a set of bells. He did a haunting undercurrent for the saddest song on the album…with freaking bells. It was a-may-zing. Tuesday morning, Brits, SmArtie and I took advantage of the fact that KAMA was heading to LA for Cedes’ back to back awards shows and we hitched a ride with them to the airport. The flight to Dayton was quick…thankfully since we were flying coach on a really packed flight. Gwen picked us up since she had the most flexible schedule. The flight had been an early one, we got back to Lima in time to grab quick showers and get a little better dressed than the yoga pants and jeans we’d flown in before heading to meet with Elaine and checking over the two parcels of land. Not that we hadn’t scoped things out when we’d gone over to Commune’s ‘humble abode’. We did go with the larger of the two parcels because we were serious about the pool and the hot tub. We’d moved the money around so that we could pay the full cost of the land in what passed for cash in our current society…and since it was a cash on the barrelhead sale, the seller had taken our offer of seventy thousand dollars. So we were very happy.

Then we met with Sander and George at a restaurant over by the shopping plaza the parents’ corporation was revamping and using as their first joint money making venture. Over the course of the hour we got Sander to accept a full eight percent of the build cost. The average fee for an architect was eight to fifteen percent. When we’d offered him fifteen, Sander had looked at us like we’d lost our minds and laughed dead in our faces. Then he had countered by trying to do it for free. It took some serious reverse psychology to get him to take the eight. Then we had to do the whole process all over again with George. Finally, I looked at him and grumbled. “You can make at least the average markup for the job…or I can get Puck’s uncle to put twice the same amount in your business account behind your back.” There may have been some Spanish interspersed in that…but I admitted nothing.

“Fine…but in Ohio the average markup is only one point two five…not the national average of one point five.” George shot back. I wasn’t sure that he was telling the truth, but I was pretty sure that was a high as he was going to go. It was strange how many mannerisms he and Puckerman shared when he wasn’t even Puck’s biological. Then again Puck’s bio-dad had been the biggest douchebag I’d ever had the misfortune of ever knowing in even a peripheral kind of way.

With how long it took those agreements to be reached, it was a good thing that the person who wrote their contracts was the same person that we’d have taken them to in order to have them checked over. It was a simple matter of putting in the percentages and everyone signing them and the ball was officially rolling. We laid out with Sander the needs we had for the house and he promised to research and design it based on the Americans with Disabilities Act. Like my mother had said, he was very excited about expanding his knowledge base. In fact, I wasn’t sure who was more excited about our plans, him or us. It was great. Twenty fourteen had been one hell of a fucking great year…I couldn’t wait to see how two-thousand and fifteen played out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the later than normal posting. My week was lost to work and a family loss. My weekend was spent attending a funeral and being there for my family. The world lost a wonderful soul. I'm sure that she is walking the golden streets now.  
> So while I do apologize for your disappointment, I am not sorry. Family comes first. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think about the chapter and/or the series as a whole.   
> TTFN,   
> Anni


	11. Santa Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simeon & the Dam Bros share their holidays.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****
> 
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories
> 
> Special thanks to Isis Aurora Tomoe who is my current Beta rock star

Santa Baby

Simeon Drakkar PoV

I hadn’t gone home for Christmas, or for anything else, since the day I’d left home. I made sure to call my mother once a week to let her know I was alive and well, but most of the time, I called on Wednesday evenings when she was at bible study. That allowed me to ease her mind without having to hear the hypocrisy that she loved to spew. I had talked with her in February and let her know I had a full time gig. “Oh, Simmy, I’ve been praying that you’d get something more stable than moving from video to video.” She said happily. “You know the Lord really does answer prayers.”

I agreed with her. I knew that to be true. Even if I also knew that the Lord of whom she spoke would not like her actions. During the months after the summer tour, I worked a few other videos and gigs around Manhattan and even took a short term job at Disney World doing one of their shows while the usual guy, an old boyfriend of mine, was laid up with a broken leg. I was the most flush of funds I’d been since I was too little to understand what the things I wanted cost. Even then it had simply been an illusion because I didn’t know any better. I was also back to regular church attendance. While Mercedes, Sam and Puck went to either Methodist or Catholic Churches or even Jewish Synagogues when available, I still preferred Black Baptist churches. So I looked around until I found a church near my apartment called Trinity Baptist Church and I found myself going at least twice a month. It really reminded me of the ideals I’d been raised with and I realized that just because my mother had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God…that didn’t mean that my reaction and the fact that I’d let it chase me from what I knew to be right, wasn’t wrong too. That started to lead me back to Christ. Christ said that His Father was a God of forgiveness. That to be like Him and like our Savior, we had to forgive, not seven times…but seventy-seven times.

So, that year, when my mother asked, as she had every year since I left, if I was coming home for Christmas, I finally said that I would. I made the arrangements to arrive back in St. Louis one full week before Christmas day. I knew that my mother and I needed to have a very long overdue discussion and I hoped that we could have it and have time to repair our relationship before the actual holiday. During the time between the employee Christmas party and the day of my flight, I passed the time by helping a friend in his dance studio. He taught ballroom and ballet, but with me available, he was able to offer classes in jazz and hip=hop dance as well. It was a great way to spend the two weeks and it kept me limber and in shape. I knew that starting later February or early March, I’d be dancing full time again. I couldn’t afford to let inactivity become my friend.

I also made time to go shopping. For the last several years, I’d sent my family gift cards or cash in funny holiday themed greeting cards. That Christmas, I would get to see them and I wanted to give them more than just an ‘I’m alive and have no imagination’ gift. It wasn’t like there were a lot of people to buy for. I had my mother, her mom and two sisters and three cousins on that side. My father hadn’t had any siblings that lived longer than he had. He’d been the youngest of three, but his eldest sister had gotten into drugs and prostitution…she’d been a Jane Doe in the morgue for almost six months before one of his brothers had been killed in a gang related shooting. If the two of them hadn’t looked enough alike to spark the coroner’s memory…who knew if his mom would have ever known what happened to her daughter. My grandmother had passed out when the military told her about my father’s death. Thye had rushed her to the hospital when they couldn’t immediately revive her, but she never left the hospital. The doctors said my forty-four-year-old paternal grandmother had had a stroke. Momma always said that she’d died because she had buried her other two kids and just couldn’t face burying the third.

As I shopped for Christmas gifts that year, I started with my surviving grandmother. Eula-Mae Maines had attained the ripe old age of sixty-seven years young and she was a strong, determined woman. When her husband had blamed her for the fact that they could only seem to have daughters and left her, she raised her girls to be just as strong and determined…for the most part. MamMaw had retired two years before from forty-four years working for the United States Postal Service. She loved creature comforts and over the years, I’d sent her different things when I found them to help my own tired muscles, like the Dr. Teal line of Epson salts and bubble baths. MamMaw was probably the only one of my family members who knew what had caused me to change so drastically more than a decade before. I knew for the fact that she was the only one that I actually sent real gifts to at any time of the year. On Mother’s Day, my mother got a gift card…my grandmother got a dozen roses and a brand new terry cloth bathrobe and a small bottle of Estee Lauder Beautiful. For Christmas, I usually sent her a framed picture of me and whatever new thing was out that I thought she’d like. The previous year, it had been a large screen e-reader, stocked with a whole bunch of crap fiction from her romance novels to those Hamilton, Patterson and Koontz novels she loved so much. So a few days before my flight, I walked through Macy’s and tried to find something that just looked like she would enjoy it.

Finally, I remembered that she had started walking for her health when her doctor told her that her blood pressure was getting on up there. That made up my mind for me and I got her a FitBit with two regular rubber bands and a cool gold Tory Burch bracelet to wear it in if she wanted to dress it up or something. Since I was rolling pretty deep, I also got her a nice digital picture frame rather than just another regular silver one. That seemed like such a good idea that I also got one for my mother and each of my aunts. For Momma and my aunts, I also grabbed pretty winter shawls, one that looked like it might have been the Burberry plaid for Momma, a reversible ivory and gray one for her sister Jannia and a baby blue one for Aunt Synt’ia. I hit the gift wrap table and waited patiently in the line because I sure as hell wasn’t wrapping those things myself. But by the time I took care of the women who’d raised me, I was tired as hell and didn’t care if my younger cousins wanted a fucking gift card or not. They each got a hundred bucks to spend at Amazon. I ultimately figured out that maybe I could get them something better in St. Louis.

I must have talked myself out of canceling my flight a hundred times as I packed and unpacked and repacked. I debated getting a hotel room a thousand times, but never booked one because I knew my mother would be ridiculously insulted if I did that. Finally, I had no choice but to catch the train and make my way to LaGuardia. The flight wasn’t too bad. I had to pay the stupid five bucks for the headphones that only worked on the airplanes of that particular airline…but the movie was pretty good. When I got off the plane I headed to the baggage claim. I was carrying a backpack and my carry on. I didn’t actually have any checked luggage, but that was also the way to the taxi stand, so I followed the masses. I almost didn’t recognize my cousin Jakeem where he stood waiting for me. The little, skinny midget I’d left behind was just a hair under six feet tall and was certainly standing on the line of grown ass manhood. “Yo, Simmy, move your ass…Mom has the car running in loading, but we been there ‘bout a minute.”

We did the bro hug thing. Then I hauled ass out to the curb and Keem dragged me to Aunt Synt’ia’s cute little Rav4. I got in and immediately thanked them for picking me up. “I could have caught a taxi…besides…shouldn’t Keem be in school?” I asked even as I was texting Momma’s phone to let her know I’d arrived safely.

They both laughed in my face. “It’s Christmas break, fool.” Keem shot back.

“Either we came and got you, or Momma was coming to get you. You’re lucky that your mom had to work today since she is off all next week. Or she would have had herself here. And something tells me that you aren’t quite ready for that yet.” Synt’ia smirked at me. “So tell me all about New York and your oh so scandalous bosses.”

I laughed at her. “If the world knew how boring those three really are…they would be so disappointed. Like Sam may look like Abdonis the All-American manly man…but that guy is a total nerd. I mean, he knows more about comic books and sci-fi than Tyrique.” I said honestly. And my aunt, Jannia’s, eldest son was seriously, seriously, like Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons level nerd. “Puck’s pretty much what you see on TV, but he is religious…like temple or church every weekend they can manage it…religious. Mercedes is too…and so is Sam, but they aren’t proclaiming themselves to be bad asses every other day and then going out of their way to back it up, so it’s a trip to see. But the simple truth of it is that they care so much about each other, it is just beautiful.”

“Wow…that’s cool. I like knowing that you’re working for really good people.” Synt’ia said with a smile. “Your grandmother sat your mother down last night and finally told her what you saw.” She said in a conversational tone that didn’t really match the import of her words. But then I realized that when JaKeem had realized that there wouldn’t be any dirt on the famous people I worked for, he’d put in his headphones and was in his own world.

I sighed. “Why on earth…why would she go and do that for, huh?”

Synt’ia shrugged. “Probably, she thought that she was making it easier on both of you. She assumed that since you were finally coming home, you had finally realized that you weren’t a thirteen-year-old kid anymore and you were ready to talk things through with your mom like a man.”

“Damn, does e’ery body know?” I groaned.

She just shrugged again. “I know because I figured it out when you left and spent the next six months only calling on Wednesdays when you knew she wasn’t home. At first I thought that her religiousity and the stupid bullshit she likes to preach about your gayness had been it…but even after I finally got her head out of her ass on that, you still stayed away. So I started paying her ass more attention. She ain’t as slick as she thinks she is. If I’d cared before she ran you away, I’d have known about her little adultery years ago. I didn’t know how long it had been going on until she told me so herself after her talk with Momma…but…she’s my sister and your mother. She may do some seriously shady shit…but we love her anyway.”

“I know.” I said thoughtfully. “I do love her. I just…”

“You need her to acknowledge that her sin isn’t any better than yours. Not that I think you loving men is sinful. The way I figure it…if God didn’t want there to be gay people…there wouldn’t be any gay people.” I’d never realized how often Synt’ia shrugged when she talked. That shit was contagious too, I found myself shrugging more often too. “You could have come to me. If it became too hard to deal with her…I had a spare room. Wasn’t much, but you could have had it and maybe finished school with decent enough grades to go to college.”

I shook my head. “More school after high school was never in the cards for me. Oh, but remind me to tell Ty about the scholarship my bosses are sponsoring at Columbia.” She gave me a look that said she wasn’t going to let me change the subject. “I knew…but as mad at her as I was, I couldn’t leave her alone then.”

She gave me a side eye, “no, you just emotionally deserted her then and you left her all alone five years later.”

I nodded. “I needed to get out. By the time I left, it wasn’t even about her being that asshole’s side chick. It was about the look on her face every time I headed out on a date and she knew that I was meeting a guy and not some broad. It was about hearing her pray for me…but she wasn’t worried about the fact that I was skipping school and hanging out with guys who were clubbing like it was their jobs. I started using some ill shit, Aunt Syn. I just thank God that none of that shit struck hard. But she wasn’t worried about any of that shit…she just wanted God to take away my deviant and sick predilection. A child molester…that’s a sick and deviant predilection…I’m just gay.”

She nodded. “And there is nothing wrong with being gay. I’m not the only one who knows that for the truth either. You know, your mom’s church got a new pastor year before last. He’s a totally different character from the Reverend Long. Pastor Yeoman is a happily married man. His first lady holds his heart. I don’t know if your mother continued seeing Reverend Long after he left the church…but he moved to Florida six months after they got Pastor Yeoman in the pulpit.”

I just nodded. “He was a homophobic, hypocritical bastard. Florida seems like a pretty good place for him.”

Syn and I shared a long laugh. I loved both of my mother’s sisters, but Syn was my favorite of the two. Jannia reminded me a little too much of my mother. Or maybe what Momma may have been like if she and my father had gotten their happily ever after. Not that Jannia had a traditional happily ever after either. But I was more than eighty percent sure that she’d had her two children out of wedlock and never even told their fathers not because ‘they were just niggas from the block with no future and no possibility at having one either’ but because she wanted kids and didn’t want to deal with in-laws or anyone telling her how to raise them. The rest of the drive to MamMaw’s condo, me and Aunt Syn just talked and caught up. MamMaw had sold her house and brought a nice condo in the gentrified part of the hood. It was nice and just big enough for her and one grand kid at a time. I realized that my Facebook stalking of my aunts and cousins and the cards I exchanged with my grandmother had kept me way more in the familial loop than I’d have believed.

As soon as I saw my grandmother face to face for the first time in over four years, I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. She was thinner than I’d ever known her. At five foot two, she had never been tall, but as far back as I could remember she been a size sixteen or thereabouts. Looking at her that day, she looked like she was probably down to a size eight or ten. Her hair was still really thick, and flowed down her shoulders in its natural salt and pepper curls and waves. The weight loss worried me a little bit, and I realized that my own stupidity and stubbornness could have seen me lose the wonderful woman who’d had a major hand in raising me without having seen her face to face in entirely too long. That was the true embodiment of how revenge often hurts the one seeking it as much as it does the one it is being visited upon. I hugged her so tight that she popped me to get released. “Well if it isn’t the prodigal knucklehead?” Her laugh was merry and bright and damn it all if I wasn’t home.

“Yeah, MamMaw…the knucklehead is home.”

“Good…are you finally done punishing all of us for your momma, and yeah, I’m including you in the all.” She chided. I just nodded. “You better be. I love all my grandchildren…but you’re my oldest and this heart of mine has been missing your face something fierce. Now come on…I’ve made you some chitlin’s. I know you love them and won’t eat anyone else’s. They’re just waiting on you to turn them pink.” She smirked, teasing me about how much hot sauce I used when I ate the traditional Black ‘delicacy’.

I grabbed my bags and took them up to her place. I’d just be dragging them back down to go to Momma’s but at least I wouldn’t hold Aunt Syn up if they wanted to leave or something. Not that Jakeem was going anywhere. He loved MamMaw’s chitlin’s too. Talking to MamMaw and Syn and even Keem who’d been ten when I left and was now almost old enough to drive was easy and made me feel even more foolish for cutting myself off from my family to spite my mother. In punishing her for her bigotry, I’d ended up punishing them and me for feelings they didn’t even share. Keem made that abundantly clear when he leaned over and asked me, “so cuz, are you boning that other dancer dude, the Hispanic one? Because I mean…if I rolled like that, I’d definitely hit that. But more ‘portantly to my own personal sexual curiosity…the cute little chippy that they call Bae-Bae on KAMA’s website…does she have a boyfriend and is she as flexible as she seems on TV?”

“While she is entirely that flexible, Bae is too old for you. The Hispanic dancer, Jackson isn’t really my type. I learned my lesson long ago. I don’t date dancers anymore. And I definitely don’t date bandmates. That is just asking for drama, trouble and bull-isht.” I gave him a long look. “You know Damien…the taller of the two male background is bi. If you need someone who understands, I can get you his email.”

Keem gave me a cheeky grin. “Naw, I’m cool. I can find dudes aesthetically pleasing without wanting to actually bone them.” He said confidently. “But while you’re home…you might wanna have a chat with Ty. I’m not sure or anything…but in every game that has a romantic back story he has found some way to make them gay as hell.”

I shrugged. Back in the day, Mom had taken my computer and Sims game because I’d filled the neighborhood with a bunch of ‘unnatural couples’. Her words not mine. “I’ll talk to him. Aunt Jannia will bitch for a while…but as long as he promises to have a kid, she’ll let up.”

Keem nodded. “Yeah…I think so too. She’s already talking about grandkids and Ty ain’t even out of high school yet. MamMaw told both of us that she’d cut off our thang-thangs if we made her a great-grandmother any time soon.”

We both laughed because she would too. “She better worry about Tanya.” Tyrique’s younger sister was the youngest of the four of us and hella spoiled.

“Momma ain’t gotta worry about Tanya at all. You know she isn’t sharing her spotlight anytime soon. She has a baby and she’d drop at least one rung down the totem pole.” Aunt Syn dropped down into the chair across from us. “I don’t see how you two can eat those nasty things. You know they’re pig intestines don’t you?”

“Oh hush, Synt’ia. You used to love them before your friend, Kenya, told you what they were.” MamMaw shushed her. “Now, Simmy…tell me everything I don’t know yet.” So I told her all about how I found my way back to the church. I told her exactly how good I had it working with KAMA. I told her anything and everything she might want to know and that I felt comfortable about sharing. The time flew by in a hail of laughter and love and well just family.

Before I realized how late it was getting, there was a knock on MamMaw’s door, before it opened anyway. My grandmother firmly believed that if you lived near family they should have keys just in case. And her usual definition of that was ‘just in case’ she didn’t feel like moving to get the door. “Mom, did Synt’ia get Simmy from the airport on time?”

I stood up and went and gave her a hug. I may have been angrier with her than I’d ever been at anyone in all my life, but she was still my mother. “Yeah, they found me and they weren’t just on time…they were early. How was work?”

“It was work, same old thing just a different day…but how are you?” she hugged me tight then pushed me back and looked me over. I was fit as a fiddle, had had a haircut and a nice line up by Ricki’s partner Kalvin. Mercedes’ hairstylist gave all the KAMA crew preferential bookings at her shop. He was good people.

“I’m good, Momma. I’m just fine.” I said honestly. We stayed for dinner, which I hadn’t even realized MamMaw had going in her crockpots while we’d been talking. It was really nice. We said goodnight to MamMaw, Syn and Keem and headed to Momma’s row house around eight.

When we got there, I realized that very little had changed. Her living rooms walls were still painted a very light shade of blue, the TV had been upgraded, I remember her saying that the old one had stopped working a few years ago. But I thought she’d decided not to bother with putting one in the living room again since she watched television in her room most of the time. “There was a sale and if I got that big one, I got a thirty-two inch one for your bedroom for free. I remember how much you hated that old nineteen-inch tube set that was in there, so I took the deal…just in case. And look. Now here you are and you’ll get to watch it.”

“Momma…I’m sorry I haven’t been home.” I said quietly.

She smiled sadly. “I guess I deserved it. I…I tried so hard to make sure that you never found out…I always thought that I was so careful. I didn’t date. I chose a man who was married and wouldn’t expect me to be available when you’d need me. I made sure that he knew that we were not in a relationship. I thought that if you didn’t know that I had needs…if I could meet them without bringing a string of men in and out of your life…that you’d never lose respect for me. Instead I created the very situation I was trying to avoid.”

I sighed and took a seat on the navy microfiber couch Momma had gotten when I was seventeen and the one we’d had my whole childhood had given up the ghost after I flopped down on it one of the days I’d actually gone to school. “Momma, that may have…I don’t know started the process of my loosing respect for you, but a lot of it was. You hated me. You hated who I was and said that me and everyone like me were going to hell. You lapped up everything that Reverend Long had to say about homosexuals and even after you knew that it applied to me, you still kept putting out his party line. Did you love him so much that there was no room left in your heart for your gay son?”

She dropped into the ivory damask arm chair that had survived my entire child hood simply by being too uncomfortable for me to bother with. “I have never loved any man other than your father. I had physical needs, but that was all Teddy ever got from me. I never thought that you were gay. I don’t know if it was just something that I thought only other people were, or if I just saw what I wanted to see. But until you were sixteen or seventeen, I just wouldn’t let myself believe that my son was gay. Your father was so proud…so happy that you were a boy to carry on his father’s name. Even your grandmother, your Dad’s mom…she was able to leave this world in peace because her family’s name would continue.”

I scoffed. “I can have kids if I want. There are egg donors and surrogates.”

“I don’t think of things like that. I grew up in a church where the pastor said the same things Reverend Long said.”

“Oh please.” I interrupted. “MamMaw, Aunt Syn…even Aunt Jannia aren’t homophobic like you. I never doubted that they loved me. But my own damn mother couldn’t condemn me enough.”

She shook her head. “Momma and I haven’t always seen the same things when we read the bible. She says that condemning others is the fastest way to go to hell.”

I smirked a little bit. “Well, that is one interpretation of ‘Judge not lest ye be judged’. A lot of Christians like to forget the Christ in our religion. I’ll be honest, you and your Reverend Long almost had me convinced that God hated me. That I was of the devil. I spent all of high school showing you just how bad I could be. But I’m not bad. The devil is a liar not a creator and God is love not hate.”

“I know that you aren’t bad. And the devil has nothing to do with how you were created. But I’ve always been taught that being gay is a sin.” She defended.

I shook my head. “Ya know…I’ve always wondered…if God held homosexuality as such a sin…why isn’t it in the commandments? If it is so bad, how come Jesus doesn’t speak out against it? Between the two, everything we aren’t supposed to do is pretty well outlined. Did you just think it slipped Their minds?”

“Paul wrote…”

“Momma…Paul was a man. He held his own belief structure and though he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior, he very obviously picked and chose from Jesus’ teachings. His teachings have been used to support so many abominations it is hard to remember them all. For me the fact that his epistles backed the enslavement of our ancestors, the subjugation of women and the denigration of gays has pretty much led me to ignoring every fucking word he wrote. Let us not forget that there are always going to be false prophets. Saul wasn’t a good man. So because he changed his name, we’re just supposed to forget that. No, he just started preaching his hate in the name of Christ rather than the Pharisees.” I reminded her. “Look I don’t want to get into a theological debate with you. I’m just going to say that as my mother…your job is literally to love me any damn way.”

“Simmy…I do love you. I am sorry that my words or actions ever made you feel as if that wasn’t the case, but I LOVE YOU.” She started to weep. “I have loved you since the first time I felt you move inside me. I…had so many dreams for how you would grow up and find the perfect girl. She would be good and kind and let me feel as if she was the daughter I never had. I just…I don’t want your life to be so damn hard Simeon. It’s hard enough to be a black man in this country or to be a gay man in this country. But to be both...”

“Yeah, it’s hard to be a gay black man in America. Especially when you’re in middle and high school. That was why I needed your support so badly. But you were so busy being the best Second Lady of the Apostolic Body of Jesus Christ Baptist Church that you couldn’t be my mother. Oh you were a mother…and if I had been a different kid, you’d have been a good one. But you never had my back when I needed you. Do you remember in sixth grade when I had my first nocturnal emissions dream? You called me sick and nasty for something I couldn’t even control.”

“It’s a sin against God to spill your seed upon the ground.” She quoted by rote.

“Yeah, I think God had more of a problem with Onan getting down with his brother’s wife rather than the whole seed on the ground thing. But again not going on the whole theology thing Momma. The simple fact was that I was eleven years old and had no fucking clue. If Aunt Syn hadn’t told me what was going on and that it was a pretty natural part of growing up…I’d have been the next Norman Bates or something. It happens to every kid. It was a natural biological process and you made me feel dirty and wrong.”

She finally nodded. “I know. Synt’ia and Momma have never let me forget that I was stupid about how I reacted. I just…I guess I hated that you were growing up. I was stupid. I was resistant to change and I couldn’t believe that my son was gay. But I always loved you.”

“Aunt Syn said that if my father had lived he never would have let you treat me like that.” I whispered. All my life I had wondered would things have been different if my father had not been killed. Would he have been more tolerant or loved me anyway?

Momma gave me a sad smile. The same one she always wore when she was telling me about the man who’d apparently, never left her heart. “Your father and I used to have the same kind of discussions that we’re having now. He believed that when a pastor preached hate in the name of God, he was committing the ultimate sin. God, Simmy…your dad was so smart and strong and loving. He would have been an amazing father. I’m sorry that I failed him by failing you so badly. I do love you Simmy and I swear to the Lord that I will be a better mother to you.”

“I hope so…because it hurts like hell not having you in my life.” I said honestly. We sat together in silence until Momma’s curiosity got the better of her. It would seem that despite her disapproval of my sexuality, she was ridiculously curious about what sex between two people of the same sex entailed. She also wanted to know tons about my dancing. That lead us to talking more about Mercedes, Sam and Noah and I told her how they had actually been the ones to get me back to church for the first time since I was thirteen years old. I told her about the great things we’d done during the tour. “I can even play a little piano now.”

“Wow, you must have a really patient teacher.” She laughed. “I couldn’t make it through teaching you ‘Twinkle Twinkle’ let alone something more complex.”

“Momma, isn’t that the only song you can play?” I asked before joining her in the laughter that just ratcheted up a notch.

She looked over at me. “You definitely do not get any musical talent from our side of the family. Your Aunt Jannia’s singing is so bad she made the chorus teacher cry once. And you know that your momma is the exception that makes it a rule that all Black folks have rhythm.”

For the first time in more than a decade I spent a full week with my family and there were no yelling matches. There were no recriminations. My mother and I started rebuilding our relationship. I went to church with her and, of course, we had to stay for the after service holiday pot luck dinner. It was during the dinner, that I met the church’s new pastor and his wife. To my surprise, I found that I actually liked Pastor Yeoman. Turned out that he and his wife had a son who was gay and he was both around my age and he lived in New York. He worked at Barclay’s in their investment management division. “Oh, my bosses’ uncle works there. But Mr. Mayzer is one of the higher level financial consultants. He manages all KAMA’s investments and he’s helping all of their employees to build portfolios for ourselves.”

“He sounds like a good man.” The preacher’s lovely wife, Mariah, said with a smile. “Now I have to tell you…I love KAMA. Bernie here thinks that the Jones girl should just pick one…but there is something so beautiful that’s there when all three of them are together doing an interview. Just beautiful the love between them. And the way their voices combine…I tell you, you can’t not believe in God when you hear them sing. That kind of talent doesn’t come about by accident. Do you think they will ever do a gospel song?”

I smiled. “They sing a lot of church songs, Ma’am. When we were on the tour last summer, they opened and closed every Sunday show with gospel. Mercedes’ voice is just about perfect for it. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve heard her sing everything from Country to Ska and it is all amazing…but when she takes us to church with her voice…that definitely brings the biggest sinner back to church.” 

Pastor Yeoman just chuckled. “All I know is that in the last year or so, the number of girls I’m having to counsel at the youth center about body image and for eating disorders is down across the board, but especially among young black women. So no matter what I may feel about the polyamory, those three are doing the Lord’s work in my book. Too many women are dying trying to be skinny.” He said in such a way that I knew the subject was closed. We chatted for a few more minutes about Momma and the family and their attendance then they moved on and left me with their son’s business card with his cell phone number written on the back. Parents were a straight trip.

After the dinner, which was way too early, we all met up at MamMaw’s condo and I borrowed Momma’s car and took Tyrique, Tanya and Jakeem to the mall to find them some decent gifts. Apparently…according to my mother and both her sisters…gift cards are fine if you’re mailing gifts. But since I was home I had to get them actual gifts. I drove them over to the Galleria near the fabled Creve Coeur section of St. Louis. I told them going in that they could each get one expensive item or a few cheaper ones. But what they got while we were at the mall was their Christmas gifts and that would be it. All three of them were cool with my rules.

So we shopped. Tanya wanted to look in jewelry stores. I took her to Kay’s first since they were reputable, but not ridiculously expensive. But the chick behind the counter was straight tripping. She was hovering with her finger on the silent alarm button the whole time we were in the store. That shit pissed me all the way off. Especially since even Keem, the only one of us who actually dressed like a thug by choice, was still in his church clothes. So we peaced-out without buying shit. I may not have had a back breaking job, but I worked too damn hard for my money to spend it where I wasn’t wanted. As we left the store, Tanya started pouting. “If you walk into a store and they act like you ain’t ‘bout shit because you’re black…you don’t spend a single, solitary dime there. If they don’t want you…they don’t get your money. Have some damn dignity. Have some damn pride. Black folks we want change…we need to make that change happen. This is just a small way to start that change.”

“I got you Cuz.” Ty agreed. “Let’s got to Game Stop…they don’t care about the color of our skin. In gaming all that matters is if you’re a good gamer or not.”

He wasn’t lying. Even as he took forever to pick out his multitude of video games, including Dragon Age: Inquisition, the newest installment of the Mass Effects saga, and Final Fantasy XIV, we weren’t tracked around the store. Keem was getting his flirt on with a cute little redhead who had driven her younger brother to the mall as his Christmas gift. She was flirtatiously, kind of complaining about how long he was taking. It was really fucking funny though when her brother popped up and said in exacerbation, “Just get his number, I’m ready to go.”

When we left that store, we went down the escalator and hit Helzberg Diamonds where Tanya got a pair of real diamond earrings. They were really nice. A small white diamond with a band of pave black diamonds around them. They were small but real and nicely age appropriate. Best of all they were, on sale, about the same amount as I’d spent on the six video games that her brother had gotten for his gift. Keem then dragged us to Foot Action where he finally got the sneakers he been dreaming about since they came out the month before. But no way was Aunt Syn giving him two hundred bucks to get a pair of sneakers he wasn’t even going to wear for their intended purpose anyway. He still had enough to get a pack of Jordan socks, the shoe cleaner, the shoe protector, the shoe freshener…yeah that kid was way into his shoes. Then I dragged them to Champs and got myself a bunch of new workout clothes. They were cheaper outside New York and since we were going to be moving into heavy practices in February or March, I wanted to go ahead and stock up in a state where the cost of living was lower. Then I went ahead and hit Macy’s and grabbed a large, rolling suit case for all of the new sweats and stuff and for my Christmas gifts from the family.

The rest of the week flew by. I ended up meeting up with a few old friends from the neighborhood and on Tuesday, I got asked out by a guy I’d have never known was gay…only to find out that his ass was on the DL and I didn’t roll like that. Still, he gave me a great story to tell MamMaw, Syn, Momma and Jannia while I helped them do the prep work for Christmas dinner. I could cook and I had a lot of practice helping those four women in the kitchen. But the time schedule they traditionally kept too was too much for me. So I helped with the dicing and slicing and all that crap and lifted whatever heavy thing needed to go into or out of the oven. Other than that, I played video games with Ty; talked with Tanya about clothes; and even taught Keem the Harlem Shake and the Dougie. It was straight fun. The next morning, we all opened some gifts at home, before meeting up at MamMaw’s after lunch. My mother had gotten me a tee shirt that was actually for her to wear that may have been the best thing she’d ever gotten me. It had the word ‘PROUD’ in a rainbow design then the words ‘of my GAY SON’ under it. She also got me a cool French Press coffee pot and a vacuum beard trimmer from Norelco. It was really nice.

Everyone loved all their gifts…well except Keem who ended up getting a homemade book of those stupid ‘I’ll do your chores for you’ coupon books from Tanya. “I might think this is something but a waste of paper, if I didn’t know that you don’t honor these. You’re still supposed to be washing the dishes whenever you come over and it hasn’t happened yet. Which is just pitiful because Momma has a dish washer.” He grumbled.

“Well if you didn’t try to dress like you’re balling out of control, I’d be able to afford to get you a nice shirt or something like I did Simmy and Ty.” She shot back. I didn’t say anything…but I could kind of see her point.

After dinner, we were all too full to move, so we all chilled out on MamMaw’s floor…well MamMaw and Aunt Jannia had the couch and Momma had the chair…but still we were all laying around watching Christmas movies. Everything from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas…the cartoon, not that live action abomination…to A Christmas Story was watched. Naps were taken and when we weren’t talking, eating or sleeping, we just enjoyed the time with the family. The next day, Momma and her sisters dragged me out of my bed early to take them to the same mall I’d taken the cousins to before Christmas so they could hit the after Christmas sales. Oh well, they fed me and I was able to catch a few pieces on sale myself. When we got back to the house, I went back to bed only to get woken up by the cousins and MamMaw who wanted more time with me before I left the next morning. By the time I got back to my apartment, I was exhausted. I loved my family and I was really grateful that I’d found my way home…but I was also really grateful that I didn’t have any more relatives.

The same day I got home, we spent four hours in the studio. Rainbow liked to have the dancers at the recording sessions because watching the process and learning exactly what and why Sam, Mercedes and Puck had written the songs really helped her with creating the choreography. We had Sunday off and then we were back in the studio on Monday. We were free Tuesday as well which turned into a blessing. Macklemore needed another dancer as one of his had pulled a groin muscle. He hit up his friends KAMA because he knew they lived in the city and he was on a serious time crunch since he was performing at New Year’s Rocking Eve. Puck gave him my number since Jackson had plans with his family who had come to the city to see him. I was all over that. The dances weren’t too complex and the two days of work paid for my entire trip home. Not bad at all. New Year’s Day was mine to do as I wanted…so once I called everyone back in St. Louis I just went walking through my neighborhood. I also used the walk to get some groceries and sundries. Friday, Saturday and Monday afternoon saw us back into the studio.

That week, Puck, Sam and Mercedes may have given us the time off while they were in LA…but for Rainbow, the only one of us she didn’t expect to see in her studio for four hours every day was Brittany and that was only because she was back in her home town seeing to some family business. When she got back…she was brought up to speed on what all Rainbow had worked out. By the time school was back in session we had the dances fully choreographed for every song that was already in the can. It was pretty near perfect. I loved my job. I had my family relationships back in good condition and my personal life wasn’t creating any drama or trauma. Two thousand fourteen had been an awesome year and it was looking as if twenty-fifteen was going to be at least as good. I couldn’t wait. I might even give Phillip Yeoman a call, after all he had good looking parents who seemed to be good people. He might just be worth a shot.

 

Adam Kress PoV

There was something almost undefinable that was really fucking awesome about working for KAMA. I mean, the money was great. The benefits were awesome. Damien and I had both gone and gotten full checkups, medical, dental and vision. Turned out that we were both in great physical condition…but I may have needed glasses and Dame needed like four cavities filled. The other great thing was all the time off. We had time, once the closing on Mom’s house took place, to go back to Paducah and help her move from that crappy ass trailer she’d raised us in. It hadn’t taken much time or even that much effort. She’d refused to take any of the crappy furniture, except the one set of real wood bunkbeds that she’d lucked into when we were kids. She wasn’t taking any of the dishes or linens that were more than ten years old either. Hell, what she did take we stopped by the laundromat and she washed and folded it all fresh before we carried it to the new house. The house was really nice. It was a one story, three bedroom, two-bathroom house with the master bedroom and bathroom separated from the other bedrooms by most of the rest of the house. It had a one car garage and a nice long drive way. When you entered from the garage, you were right next to a nice laundry room with three open shelves above the washer and dryer hookups and a rack for hanging clothes attached to the back of the door. Directly ahead was the door to a good sized master bedroom with a large walk in closet and a master bath with two sinks and a big stand-alone shower. If you turned left you headed into the great room, dining room, kitchen and small foyer. Thankfully, the place had hardwood floors throughout. The floors were a rich, dark stained, solid walnut and they complimented the light painted kitchen cabinets well. The counters were a cloud white quartz shot through with dark gray and smoke white veins. Mom ooohhhed and awed over everything.

The other two bedrooms shared a bathroom and that one had a bathtub-shower combo type deal. Both bathrooms had the wood look tiles that matched the floors in the rest of the house. The walls were the same cloud white as the kitchen cabinets. The fixtures were all brushed nickel and the porcelain was all very bright white. The previous owners had fully renovated the entire place. The paint, floors and all the toilets, sinks and such were all brand new. Damien and I had gone ahead and bought the appliances the house had been staged with, so she had a stainless steel stove, dishwasher and refrigerator. Jarrod was working at one of the four furniture stores in town so he talked with his boss and got Mom a great deal on a living room set. Apparently, no one in Paducah was really the ‘crimson living room set’ kind of people. Best of all though for Mom was that both the sofa and love seat were pull outs. The store owner was so happy to get fifteen hundred for the set he threw in the rocker recliner for free. Rodney had come home for the weekend too and he took Mom to Kmart and got her some nice, neutral throw pillows and blankets to go on the rather brightly colored living room furniture.

Since Jarrod’s boss had given her such a great deal on the living room furniture, she stayed there for furniture for her bedroom. She said she was going to wait until she was a little more flush in the wallet to get the furniture for the smaller of the two other bedrooms. The last one was the twins room and that was where we put up the bunkbeds. Mom was going to get the rest of them dressers and more furniture for it later too. At least that was her plan. That was not the plan of any of the men in her life. Ronnie disappeared as soon as Rodney and Momma headed to K-Mart, next thing we knew he was showing up with a stainless steel washer and dryer pair. He’d had a friend of his at Sears hold the set for him on what pretty much amounted to layaway when we’d started the process to buy the house. Then Aaron showed up with some bookshelves and a desk and nice chair from Sprawl-Mart. While we were putting those together in the room with the bunkbeds, a Big Lots furniture truck arrived and they delivered a dining room set with enough seats for eight. There were also two matching stools for the small breakfast bar and two matching tall boy dressers for the twins. My uncles showed up and they had gotten her a bedroom suite and mattresses for the final bedroom. All of us loved Justine Anne Peterson, her sons and her brothers, and we all wanted better for her than she’d been able to have before. The look on her face when she realized that she just had to decorate the house, because all the furniture had been purchased and was brand new and for the most part to her taste, was priceless. Jaden and Denzil even got in on the action disappearing and coming back with a brand new set of good pots from Sam’s and a new set of dishes from Kohl’s.

When Mom and Rodney got home, she was so happy she cried. It was worth everything. Because Mom didn’t do girly things like happy tears. We stayed for the entire weekend…even if Mom did keep finding things for us to do. When we got back to New York, the world knew about Puck’s baby mama drama. But that turned into sales gold for KAMA so we just minded our own. Dame was dating a new chick who did background vocals for Empire records. That label was weird, they only ever put their singers on their tracks and if you did vocals for them, you couldn’t work for anybody else. He was happy with her but that relationship was coming to an end after only a few weeks. She didn’t give blow jobs and she refused to let him touch her breasts…which were a big part of why he’d asked her out in the first place. He and I took quite a few other gigs around KAMA’s event, practice and video schedules. The two of us were making incredible loot so if we saw something cool that we thought Momma would like, we grabbed it. Every time she got a package with a lamp or a new duvet cover, she’d call us and chide us for spending so much on her.

At Thanksgiving, I sang backup on a float in the Macy’s parade. It was really awesome and the pay was damn near ridiculous. Damien’s relationship didn’t survive the holiday. The chick was on some new shit. She invited us to have dinner with her since we weren’t going home, and she tried to feed us tofurkey. That was it. I was so damn mad; I damn near broke up with her myself and she wasn’t even my girl. We could have had real dinner at a great diner that had never let us down when we couldn’t afford to go home at Thanksgiving. But instead we got stuck with her funky ass tofurkey…that shit was foul. When we got home, we called Mom and the brothers and found out that Momma was going to start taking classes over at the West Kentucky Community College. She had a high school diploma and with all of her kids pretty well grown, she finally had the time to start trying to advance herself. We went home at Christmas and it was really funny. Dame and I took turns swapping between the full sized bed in the guest room and the pull out sofa. Momma had gotten a real tree that year and it was decorated with brand new lights and tinsel and such. The only ones of the old ornaments she kept were the ones we’d made for her in school and at church and such. Dame and I had gotten her one of the ones from the KAMA swag shop and she giggled when she put it on the tree.

We’d always been pretty poor so we always had one nice Christmas gift and one cheap one every year. We all decided to stick with that plan even though for the most part we were a lot better off than we’d been when all eight of us were home and all Mom really had to get by on was sporatic child support and food stamps. Momma got each of her boys a shaving essentials set that contained a shit load of lotions, creams, and scrubs. Those were our cheap gifts. We’d come up. Used to be the cheap gifts were around five bucks each. Those kits cost five times that. For her cheap gifts, we’d all gotten her something for school. Jaden and Denzil had gotten her supplies, pencils, paper, notebooks…things like that. Aaron had gotten her a big flash drive and Ronnie had gotten her a decent tablet. Me and Dame had each gotten her a fifty-dollar gift card to the campus bookstore. Rodney and Jarrod got her a nice backpack and a pair of fashionable sneakers respectively. Then we each opened our cheap gifts…which were all just gift cards for places like Starbucks and Sprawl-Mart. Our nice gifts to each other weren’t any better, according to Momma. We were happy without larger gift cards to places like Kohls or Macys…but she thought we were being lazy. We weren’t that was actually what we all really wanted from each other.

For Mom, we’d actually shopped. Aaron had gotten her a set of end tables for the great room and Ronnie had gotten her a good sized television for out there too. Damien had gotten her a Keurig coffee maker for her new kitchen. I had gotten her a gorgeous rug for her living room that had lots of shades of cream and brown mixed with the same crimson color as her furniture. Jarrod had found a great wrought iron wall shelf with hooks for keys that would go in the foyer while Rodney, Denzil and Jaden went in together and brought her a really nice, refurbished laptop. She shopped for us too. Aaron got an Amazon Paperwhite…he loved to read even though we all teased him about the neediness of it. She got Ronald a ridiculously expensive Yeti travel cup set. Supposedly it would keep his drinks hot or cold as needed for up to twenty-four hours. I was a little jealous until I saw what she’s gotten me…a small portable keyboard. I’d told her that Justin was really enjoying having so many music lovers to teach. I’d started learning to play piano from him and I really loved it. Damien got a very similar box, but it contained a drum board. He loved the beats. He, Cass and Dave had definitely bonded over their love of rhythms. Jarrod got a wicked cool, vintage leather bomber jacket that even second hand had cost a pretty penny. Rodney was a little jealous until he opened his brand new Js…nothing reached a basketball player’s heart like kicks. Denzil and Jaden got a combo gift…Momma had gotten them a really nice TV for their bedroom.

After we cleaned up the mess from opening our Christmas gifts, Jaden hit the kitchen. That kid was going to be a world class chef someday. I don’t think Mom had cooked since he could see over the stove. Jaden cooked, Denzil cleaned and they were both better at their chosen avocations than Mom was. The thing was that Jaden hated having anyone underfoot other than his twin so the rest of us had nothing to do until dinner was ready. We set up Mom’s new TV, with Ronnie helping it took less than twenty minutes. So we did the twins’ television too. While we were at it we hung the entrance shelf and moved the furniture and laid out the rug then arranged the furniture into a better configuration for watching the new TV and having conversation too.

Somehow, Mom’s four eldest ended up working together to set up the closet system Mom had gotten on the cheap for her closet. Aaron broached a subject that Dame and I could tell had been weighing on his and Ronnie’s minds. “Look, you guys are…shit we could never have done this. Getting everything together to get Mom a real house. But we do want to help.”

I just smiled but Dame full on laughed. “And you will…who do you think Mom is gonna call when shit breaks or something? Ronnie, you’ll be putting in by fixing her stove or helping her do something with the back yard.”

Ronnie shook his head. “Nope…Jaden and Denzil are already planning to turn about half of it into an herb and vegetable garden come the spring. Something about having fresher things to cook with.” He told us conspiratorially. 

“Man…where did those two come from. I can do alright in the kitchen…but all that Cooking Channel and Food Network shit Jaden pulls out his ass…I can’t even.” I shot back.

“I know, right.” All my brothers cosigned.

“Still, we’re serious…we want to help. So why don’t me and Aaron do the mortgage one month out of every three.” Ronnie suggested.

Dame shook his head. “We have it set up so every pay period we put five hundred each in an account and it just pulls from that account automatically. Since the account is at the bank where the mortgage is out of, it got us a break on the interest doing it that way.”

Aaron nodded. “That makes sense. That’s the same way I did at the credit union for my car note.” He looked thoughtful. “I still have an account number and stuff for the car payment though…if you guys have the mailing information for if you ever wanted to mail in the mortgage payment…me and Ronnie can just send in an extra hundred each every month. That would at least get it paid down faster.”

“Yeah, and Mom is planning on cornering you two before you leave to make sure that in taking care of her, you aren’t forgetting to take care of yourselves.” Ronnie pointed out.

“Man…we are fine. The thing is that we aren’t just making a hell of a lot of money working with Cedes, Sam and Puck…when they don’t need us, which is pretty much eight to six Monday through Friday during their school year, we can take as many other jobs as we want. So we’re still working as background singers for other artists too. We pull down an extra forty-five to a seventy-five bucks an hour from the other people. I only work twenty hours during the week and it takes care of all Mom’s mortgage, homeowners insurance and property taxes in one week most of the time.” I shared honestly.

Damien cosigned that truth. “That’s in addition to our main gig which is like four grand every two weeks.”

Aaron’s sigh of relief was easily heard in the small space. I threw him a side eye and he chuckled. “Maybe it wasn’t just Mom that was worried.” I laughed at him so he got a little defensive. “Hey, I’m the eldest…I’ve been hearing about how I have to watch out for my brothers since the day Ronnie came into the world. Habits are hard to break.”

I could understand that. We all looked out for Rodney, Jarrod, Jaden and Denzil just the same. “Good, then help me and Dame figure out how to slip Rodney some money without Mom knowing. College expenses ain’t no joke.”

We spent the next fifteen minutes brainstorming and finally we just decided that Aaron would take Rodney to a local branch of a national bank and open him an account. All of us would get the account number and everything we’d need to funnel him a little change. His scholarship covered his tuition, room and board and books…but he still needed so much and Mom would be quitting her second job to go back to school. By the time we got the closet system fully installed, we had all our shit planned…including getting cable and internet into the house and getting a desktop for Jaden and Denzil. They were still going to the local library or staying after to use to computers at school when they needed one. We had found our come up. All four of us had graduated high school, and a trade school in Ronnie’s case. It was our job to make sure that the younger four could come up too.

Mom did corner us and we made sure to tell her the same thing we’d told Ronnie and Aaron…well some of it…enough to ease her mind and let her know that we had her back and we were still our brothers’ keepers. “Thank God…I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you boys. You’d have thought that with all nine of us in that god awful trailer and not having a pot to piss in nor a window to throw it out of most time once the rent was paid you’d all be crazy as a bag of raccoons.”

I looked over at Damien to find him looking at me just as confused. “Mom, I didn’t know that you had to pay rent on that deathtrap.”

“Yeah, I always assumed we lived there because it was free.” I agreed.

She shook her head. The long, thick wealth of auburn was shot through with way less gray than most women her age usually boasted. “It was never free, but Adam’s father payed the rent until he died when you boys were in elementary school. He was one of the best men I ever knew. If the woman he married hadn’t been such a bitch, he’d have done more but she was determined to have her kids be the only ones he cared for. Never mind that he had six kids before he ever met her.” She rolled her eyes.

“So how did you handle the rent after he died? I mean, you had a hard enough time keeping soul and body together before the twins came…”

She gave me a stern look. “Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no tales.” She shut us down firmly. “Anyway. I want you two to look into getting a better place too. I remember you saying that your first apartment was a hole in the wall and this one is better but still hole in the wall adjacent. You made sure that I have a nice place for me and the twins. I want you to make sure that you have a nice place for the two of you.”

We agreed to save up and look into getting a better apartment or something. Though the truth of it was that Dame and I had actually decided to look into buying us a place of our own once we got Mom’s house paid down some. We were even starting to consider getting two places. We’d lived together forever. Probably, it was starting to look a little strange that we were still roommates. But even in our day dream situations where we each bought our own condos, we wanted to still be in the same building. Still we weren’t really checking for that for at least another year. Or so we’d thought. Jaden called everyone in for dinner soon after we’d settled Mom’s worries. Dinner was as amazing as we pretty much expected when Jaden got into the kitchen. He really was a great cook. Dame and I made sure to let him know that if he wanted to go to culinary arts school after high school we’d help as much as we could; even letting him stay with us while he went to one in New York. He blushed under our attention and thanked us.

Since Denzil had helped with the cooking and Aaron, Ronnie, Damien and I had done a whole bunch of things around the house, which left Rodney and Jarrod to clean up. It wasn’t that Denzil didn’t trust them to do a good job…he was just very particular about how he liked things cleaned and the way things should be put back. So he watched them like hawks. Afterwards, we returned to our favorite childhood winter pastime…board games. It was hilarious. Especially since even as a grown ass man Damien was still a no good, low down cheater…and he was still so bad at it. We played so late that night that Aaron, Ronnie, Jarrod and Rodney ended up staying the night.

The next morning, Damien snuck Jaden out and took him to the grocery store in our rental car and let him go wild. I borrowed Aaron’s truck and took Denzil to Sprawl-Mart and I just told him to stock up. As soon as he asked me if I was sure, he grabbed a cart and dragged me to the water aisle where he got two big cases of purified water and then to the hardware section where we grabbed a bunch of tools, a water filter system for the kitchen sink and garden tools. From there he went to the bathroom area and grabbed one of those things that you could assemble and put up to hold towels, or toilet paper. Then he thought for a second, “Can I get one for me and Jaden’s bathroom too?”

I just chuckled. “Denn…I want you to get whatever it is that you guys need, okay? If you need me to go and get another damn cart to get it all I will. But when I leave here tomorrow, I don’t want to worry that you guys need something and you ain’t got it or got a way to get it. I know that you and Jaden work and so does Mom, but she’s starting classes in two weeks. So get what you need…hell, get what you just fucking want, Okay?”

He nodded. “Umm…can you get another cart then?”

So I did. And Denzil filled that bad boy. He filled it with cleaning supplies and lightbulbs and lamps and cookie sheets and baking pans. Then he added soap and toothpaste and mouthwash and deodorants…things that they needed, and they got, but usually they got the cheapest stuff they could afford. I wouldn’t let him cheap out at all. I grabbed Mom some of the same stuff Cedes had available in the bathrooms on the tour buses we’d had the summer before. So some Dove soap and deodorant and some sweet smelling, thick lotion. I added some things I noticed they needed, like new underwear and socks and the like. Then I pulled the completely full carts to the one of the managers and simply asked her to watch it until we were finished. “My mother and little brothers just moved into a new house and I’m trying to get them everything they need before I head back to Manhattan.” I explained.

“You must be Justine’s boy, are you Adam or Damien?” the older woman asked giving me a big smile. I guess she saw the shock on my face. “Oh, I also work over at Aldi with your mom.”

“I’m Adam…Damien is with that knucklehead’s twin getting them groceries.” I answered. “Sorry, guess I’ve been in New York too long.”

“Well, it don’t seem like it’s done you any harm. You and your brother are still doing right by your mom and brothers. You all go get what you need. When you’re ready to check out, I’ll get you personally so you won’t have to wait in line.” And she was as good as her word. We filled that last cart with Tide, Bounce, Oxy-clean, Clorox and Clorox 2 and Downy and Unstoppables and Febreeze and Cascade and Dawn until it just wouldn’t hold any more. When we checked out, she had to grab us one of their stockers to help us get it all out to the truck. Thankfully, Aaron, Ronnie and Rodney were at the house when we got there. Mom had had to go to work as had Jarrod. We pulled in and Dame and Jaden were right behind us. The seven of us got everything in and put away, then we collapsed. Well except for Jaden and Denzil who spent the next hour showing each other all the cool things they had now. After an hour, we old fogies forced ourselves to get up and put together the bathroom pieces, took off all the tags and washed all underwear, socks, towels and linens and put them all away. Then Aaron took all the boxes and such to the dump. Momma couldn’t return anything and try to get us our money back without the boxes or tags or receipts or anything.

When she got home, Jaden had made another miracle meal…it was even better than Christmas dinner since the quality of the ingredients were so much better. We’d invited the uncles for dinner but they left after dinner…they didn’t even stay to play the cool train board game they got us. The rest of that night was spent in laughter and yeah, Mom pitched a bitch about how much we spent on top of everything...but it was kind of easy to ignore her since she was thanking us with every other word. The next morning, Damien and I had to say good bye to the brothers and Mom, but it felt great to know that we were leaving them without any needs or problems.

I like to think that being so good to my family was what led to me meeting a sexy little mama with a Caribbean accent on the flight back to New York. Her screams were ringing in my ears as we rung in the New Year with a hell of a bang. I loved women like her. She’d come to New York for a vacation and wanted just to have some fun. On the fifth, she flew home having seen some sights and had what she swore was the best sex of her life. I was happy as hell with how two thousand and fourteen had turned out and I was looking forward to the next year and couldn’t wait to see what it would bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. My hometown was one of those that had to be evacuated on the GA coast ahead of Hurricane Matthew. My family and Illy's all came here, except the ones too stubborn to leave. And on top of all the unexpected house guests, my cable & wifi went down. *Insert panicked scream here* Now I have to talk to these people. We just talked last weekend...there is literally nothing more to be said. My life isn't that interesting. Pray from me.  
> It has been one ridiculous weekend. 
> 
> Anyway...Please Comment...you have no idea how badly I need some happy. I'll just say that I'm the only unmarried girl in the family. Even my lesbian cousin has a wife and two point five kids. LOL.  
> I think I have 3-4 more Christmas Chapters before I head back to the main story. Maybe...one of these we heard from at Thanksgiving and so I may just skip it. 
> 
> So in summary...stupid hurricane...Aarg family...please comment.  
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	12. Ocho Kandelikas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gwen tells of the Abrams holiday & Haja shares more of his life & world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****
> 
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories

Gwen Abrams PoV

My second year as the accountant-slash-business manager for KAMA was even more exciting and honestly more lucrative than the year before. I was still splitting my time between handling the money for our parents’ corporation and KAMA and their real estate business. It was fun, but rather exhausting. However, that would be changing not far into the new year. I’d already found four newly graduated accounting and finance students from UNOH and OSU Lima. They were going to start as soon as we got into the new office in February, hopefully not March…that was the worst case scenario for me with Tax Day coming so soon thereafter. In addition to those three young men and one young woman, I’d found a young lady who had a degree in business management from the University of Pennsylvania. She was a perfect candidate for the position as my assistant business manager. She had been laid off from Countrywide Finance after the housing bubble burst. After looking for a new job in New York until her savings had been exhausted and she’d been forced to move back to Findlay. Currently she lived with her mother in her childhood home. Sunni Gonzalez was not quite thirty, but she was rebuilding her life. I was happy to give her the chance to make a start at getting back to independence. She would earn her freedom by helping me manage the three major clients for whom I was responsible.

She and I discussed her finding an apartment in Lima, but when I mentioned the housing development that we were going to start building and our projected build start date of January twenty-sixteen, Sunni wisely made the decision to save up and buy one of the townhomes that would be the first stage of the residential build. She missed living by herself, but after having rented for years and being left with nothing to show for it, she was far more comfortable with the idea of homeownership than she had been when she was younger. While the junior accountants would not officially begin until the new office opened, Sunni had started almost immediately after being hired. There was enough room for her to work with me in my home office. Over the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I brought her up to speed first on the financial dealings of Amicitiae Amore.

At our first meeting I had Sunni complete her human resources paperwork and the non-disclosure agreement that Antwan had created specifically for my staff moving forward. We also had some very, very rigid agreements that laid out how stringently they would be prosecuted if they tried to steal from any of my clients from KAMA all the way down to Mrs. Gunderschmund whose taxes I’d been doing since I was twenty-two years old and fresh out of college. All my employees had the same benefits package as KAMA’s band and employees…all of the employees of Amicitiae Amore and Amor Verissima’s employees really. Her salary package started at ninety thousand but would go up to a hundred based on performance, by the end of her first year. The accountants would start at sixty-five and build up to a more competitive seventy-five thousand by the end of their first year.

To begin teaching her all that she needed to know, I started by explaining to her how it all came about. Then I launched into how it had morphed and changed since its inception. “So where we stand now, is that KAMA has paid down the original debt of the corporation from the just under three point two five million dollar total debt they had on the record when the kids moved to New York down to where it currently stands at slightly under one point one five million. That changes every time the kids get a royalty check and Artie, Santana and Brittany get paid. I’m fairly sure that they will stop the current rate of repayment when they feel as if they have paid off all the debt that we parents took out to see to their education…but the thing is that they haven’t said that so I may well be wrong.” I shrugged. I was fairly certain that I was wrong, but Roger, Sander, Benton, George and Burt all said that I was to cut them off from being able to affect the debt of Amicitiae Amore as soon as the original debt of the house was paid off. We parents were just as determined as our children to stand on our own feet.

Sunni gave me a wicked grin. “I haven’t actually met Sam Evans, Mercedes Jones or Noah Puckerman beyond what I’ve seen on interviews and read in articles and even I know that they are already coming up with a work around for whatever you told the other parents you’d do. You know that too, right?”

I nodded. “Probably.” We shared a laugh. “Now, moving forward, there is the new debt that we parents have taken out to start their commercial and residential real estate venture. However, that debt will begin to be offset by the income from the commercial venture within the next two months. We’re under contract for all the anchor stores and eighty-seven percent of the other store fronts. The office park behind the retail plaza is under contract for ninety-three percent of the spaces and the other seven percent are actually being held for a couple of us that we are hoping to talk into joining us there rather than continuing to work from home in one case and the other will be the space for the residential build sales office.” I didn’t add that if all went as planned with the commercial spaces we’d have paid down the new debt in four to five years. We went over the full spectrum of the plan for the residential build in Allen County. “If this is a success, Sander, Benton and George will be looking at expanding this a little further.”

Once we finished with looking through the needs of the parents’ business, we had lunch, then came back and started to look into the kids’ business. Without giving her any more information that what Sam had already shared in the media, I helped Sunni understand the reason that KAMA was diversifying their portfolio so broadly and spending comparatively little of their quarterly earnings. Then we got to work. I showed her how when their quarterly royalties came in, I moved the money from the main account to all the other accounts where the funds needed to ‘live’. The first set of buckets were their individual accounts. One half of one percent of their earnings went into their individual checking accounts. Those accounts paid for their day to day living. The next thing that needed to happen was the payment of their outstanding debt. That debt was actually almost completely comprised of the money they’d borrowed for all their land buys. The apartment complex in Georgia, the townhome complex in South Carolina, the quadplex in Harlem. They group had taken out loans to buy or build those, but every quarter since we’d moved on them, I’d been able to pay off a full year of the principle of each of the loans. I had another bucket that held the money for the auto-payments on their small credit card balances. I also filled the ‘buckets’ that are utilized to handle their payroll and their coming touring costs. The last thing I did personally was to refill the money available to pay off the black card charges. Saul actually handled the transfer since he had set up that account for them…but I made sure that the money was available for him every quarter. I may have also double checked that it was always paid as close to in full as humanly possible…I was a mom…I worried.

The rest of the money they earned was divided among the different investment portfolio. However, that wasn’t the end of my job. Once that was done, and all the quarterly income taxes were handled, I started looking around for KAMA’s next property venture. I had several criteria for those properties. I looked in all the MAJOR cities and in smaller cities that had large college presences or massive business development. I also looked into how well that city was or had rebounded from the most recent recession. If their housing market had been decimated by the bursting of the housing bubble, that usually meant there were a lot of people who had gone through foreclosures and maybe even bankruptcy. Now if the city’s housing market had then rebounded well, those same people wouldn’t have the credit to get back into homeownership for at least seven years. They would still need good, quality homes. They often turned to apartment complexes and rental homes to keep a roof over their heads. In places with a large number of people hoping to rebuild their credit and be able to move back into owning their own homes, being the owner of a really nice apartment complex was a great revenue stream.

Sam had certain criteria that lessened the short term profitability for many of the builds. He wanted to basically offer luxury apartments and yet keep the rent to the lower end of the spectrum. I loved his dedication to helping others, but it did lengthen the time it would take to recoup the entire initial outlay and start to see seventy-five to eighty percent profitability on their investment. While Noah and Mercedes saw the ways that we could increase the moneys coming in from their real estate ventures, they loved Sam and he very happy with doing things in a way that he knew helped others…so that was the way we were doing them. I was hoping to have their property management group ready with complexes in every region of the country by the end of twenty fifteen or the end of the first quarter of twenty-sixteen. Saul and I had made quite a bit of in roads on setting aside the funds to do so. While Madeline St. James and I had been scouring different commercial property sales sites to find the right complexes to purchase.

As if I didn’t have enough on my plate, while I was training Sunni, handling several of my small business tax accounts, managing the accounting of Amicitiae Amore, KAMA, and Amor Verissima; George had me choosing fixtures and paint colors and flooring from the palettes Terry had created for our office park. Terry, himself, would have one of the small offices for his independent design firm…and Antwan and I were helping him set up his LLC. Thankfully, that meant that he was available whenever I needed his help. I certainly wasn’t comfortable with all of that, but Sander had been kind enough to handle the layout of the office for me so I couldn’t really complain about having to pick the colors. Even after I made the decisions, I wasn’t sure about my choices so I made sure that I had Roger go over them. I was right to do so. He’d had to change my darker flooring choice to a honey colored bamboo hardwood that worked better with the ivory with hints of very light gold that I had picked for the walls. To be honest, I think Roger was more excited than I was about the new office. He’d already gone online and picked out some ‘dream’ furnishings for the office and everything.

When Artie and his girls got home for the holiday, I was very, very happy to have my baby boy home. It was especially meaningful since he was able to be home for all seven nights of Hanukkah. It was a wonderful feeling to have him with us for such an important night. We didn’t necessarily attend synagogue every Sabbath, but we did observe all the high holidays. And yet as much as I loved having him with us without having to share him with his girlfriends, I could tell that being away from them for so long was negatively affecting him. He wasn’t sleeping well and that was making him very, very cranky. By the time Saturday came around, I was pretty sure that I was happier about their date day than he was. So much so that I was rushing Roger out the door a little before we’d planned to leave to go and look at furnishings and supplies for my new offices. George had let us all know that he was on schedule for us to be in the space by Valentine’s Day. Benton, Burt, Antwan, even George, Sander and Jake had all begged me to handle finding the best office supplies distributor for our offices and store fronts. So Roger and I were planning on scoping out what the retail chains could offer us that day. Then I’d send out feelers to the regional and national online suppliers on Monday. 

However, before we got to the ‘work’ of the day, we were scheduled to have lunch with Maribel and Santiago and Melanie and Christopher. While we had more technically in common with Melanie and Chris Pierce, Roger and I tended to get along better with the very charming Latino couple. It did help that Maribel loved to help me whenever I had to find clothes for the numerous events that came with being a member of KAMA’s camp. She said she really enjoyed it and to be honest, I enjoyed shopping with her more than I’d ever enjoyed shopping in my life. We met them at noon at Vivance Cuisine in the public square. Despite it being a vegetarian restaurant, we each found something delicious to eat. Maribel was kind enough to wait until we’d finished eating and chatting about our kids and the return on investment that would probably be seen by all the parents in the corporation’s newest venture before she dropped the kid’s newest bombshell on us. “Santana is planning on talking to Artie and Brittany about the three of them building a house here in Lima where they would live together when they come home for visits.”

I think my jaw hit the table. ‘But…but…But…we’ll never see them.” I stuttered.

Roger reached over and patted my hand. “Come now dear…if they have a house here, where they can lived together as they do in Harlem…then chances are good that they will come home more often, not less. You know that as long as my parents were alive, we saw them a lot less often than yours. If they have a place here, as long as the Pierces and the Lopezes don’t move away, we are a lot better off than a lot of parents of sons.”

I couldn’t really respond with anything more than a blush. It was true. I’d picked where we lived and Lima was far closer to my parents in Toledo than it had been to his in Pittsburgh. Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah and Passover Seders had always been spent with my parents. His parents got shorter holidays like Yom Kippur and Purim. “I didn’t think about how they must have felt.”

He just chuckled. “My parents knew that it would happen…it’s just part of having a son. Wives and mothers tend to have a stronger bond with their families. Now, if we can show Santana and Brittany that we fully support and care about them, as I know we both do, they will make sure to include us more. You and my mother…”

“Your mother hated me.” I pointed out. I looked at our friends. “It was true. She thought that I was too prissy and prudish. I heard her tell her husband when we first met and nothing I could do got her to change her mind.” I defended.

Maribel’s laughter rolled over us. “Darling, you are prissy and prudish. You probably would have been better served by realizing that and relaxing around her. You were trying too hard and often that becomes an unforgivable sin.”

I sighed. The only problem with Maribel Lopez was that she had all the social aptitude I lacked. It was quite irritating at times. “Where were you when I was twenty years old?” I asked rhetorically.

“Oh Gwen, if you and Mari had known each other in college…you wouldn’t have been prissy or prudish by the time you were twenty.” Santiago said giving his wife a loving, and slightly salacious grin. “She was quite the corrupting influence on all her college roommates.”

Melanie and I shared looks. In that moment we were both very grateful that we’d not encountered Maribel Manjarrez Lopez any earlier in her life than we had. “Thank you Santi…now, as I was saying, I think it is a marvelous idea for the kids to put down their roots here in Lima. If they have a house here when they finish school, given that they hope to have jobs where they will have large blocks of time off they are far more likely to come here during those blocks if they don’t have to get a hotel room or worse sleep apart. Santana hasn’t gotten a full night’s sleep since she got back. I’m sure that Brittany and Artie are just as bad.”

Melanie and I nodded in agreement. “Brittany isn’t just not sleeping…I haven’t seen her dance in two days.”

We all understood exactly how major it really was if Brittany wasn’t dancing. Anyone who’d met her for five minutes would have understood that. So I had to put aside my own selfishness, again, and do what was best for our kids. “So, what can we do to help?” I asked. Roger gave me a one armed hug to show me his pride and cosigned the question. So for the next half hour we talked through what we could to do to help. Maribel was already planning on helping them by picking colors and flooring and all that crap. Roger quickly volunteered to act as her assistant. He and I were going to get together the current ADA compliance guidelines for Sander, who would more than likely end up doing the plans and blue prints. Melanie and Christopher just planned to help out wherever they could. When we broke to enjoy the rest of our afternoon, I was actually rather enthusiastic about the whole prospect. For the most part, I did for Artie, Santana and Brittany the same financial management that I handled for Mercedes, Noah and Sam so I knew that they would be able to afford a very nice home and I really did want that for them. We had a lovely dinner that night also with the people who, according to the plans our children were making, would share my grandchildren just joined by our kids as well.

Even though I really didn’t have a whole lot on my plate work wise over the holiday, time still seemed to whiz by. Before I knew it, it was Wednesday and Artie was getting ready to take his girls out to dinner. It was to be one of the most important dinners of his young life. He’d told us all about their plans at breakfast. A part of me finally understood how Roger’s mother had felt when she met me. As if I had specifically come into the picture just to steal her little boy away. I’d felt that way about Santana and Brittany at first. Then I’d decided that they were probably just using him for his brains and satisfying their own pride by bartering their bodies for his help in passing their classes. It hadn’t taken but one conversation with Santana, and one time when I was muttering a long string of number as I added them together only for Brittany to give me the correct answer without a scrap of paper or a calculator, to disabuse me of that theory.

“So we all know that we cannot get married…Mercedes and I did the research on those laws one day when we were bored in study hall senior year…but we want people to understand how deeply we are committed to each other. We understand that our love is strange and wrong to a lot of people. We saw the reactions to Commune’s engagement…but we want to do this for us.” He said honestly.

“It is your right.” Roger told him with a proud smile. “If anyone has trouble with the three of you loving each other and being committed to each other…you can do as your friend Noah does and just tell them to kiss your ass.”

I agreed stridently. “So you got them each a ring? Can I see them?”

He smiled and reached into his pocket. “Well, me and Tana went in together to get Brittany’s ring and Brits and I did the same for Santana’s.” He showed me a pretty ring that looked like a blooming rose with pave diamonds in platinum or white gold as the petals and forming the band. The center diamond was large, but not obnoxiously so. The ring was really pretty and I knew immediately that it was the ring he and Santana had picked for Brittany. Santana’s ring on the other hand was very simple. A platinum band with three small diamonds leading to the eight tines holding the octagonally cut center diamond in place. The thing that set her ring apart was that the center diamond was big as fuck. I rarely cursed, but that was the only way I could put it even in my head. That more than spoke to the tru size of that rock. Santana and Maribel would love it as much as Brittany would love hers. I was certain that while Melanie might be a little uncomfortable with the untraditional nature of Britt’s ring, ultimately, she would come to love it as well since it was so uniquely, utterly Brittany.

“They are perfect for Brittany and Santana.” I assured my slightly nervous son. “I can just look at them and tell exactly whose ring is whose.” I gave him a firm hug. “I know that you might not believe me after how I behaved when you guys first got together…but I really do think that this is wonderful and I will never be able to express how grateful I am to them for how happy they make you.”

His father clapped him on the back with fatherly pride and Artie headed back into his room to finish getting ready. We did our family’s menorah lighting before we took Artie meet his girls for his date and after he headed into the restaurant, Roger and I went and grabbed a bite to eat ourselves. As we sat on the couch with our Chinese dinner, Roger said something that I hadn’t even been considering at all. “You know…once Artie moves out…we could sell this place and make a hell of a lot of money.”

I didn’t say anything for a long while. When I did open my mouth, the inane came out. “I didn’t know that you were even contemplating that yet. We have quite a ways to go before retirement.”

He just shrugged. “Yes, we do. But if we wait, the area may not still be the it place to move to and then we won’t get as much for the house as we could now.”

“Do you really think we’d get enough for our house to make that much of a difference?” I asked in disbelief.

“The Watkins around the corner…they were approached by a family and couldn’t resist the offer. According to Mike, they got five seventy-five for their house and they have one less bedroom and bathroom and they don’t have a barrier free first level.”

We did have an extra selling feature in Artie’s room which had originally been a second living space. After the accident, we’d weighed the idea of installing a lift or an elevator versus turning the rarely used family room and powder room into a suite for our son. Ultimately, it had been a better idea to create a nice sized wheelchair accessible bathroom and bedroom for Artie which gave him almost total independence. We were all extremely happy with our decision. Okay, the truth was that Roger and Artie had been determined that I wasn’t going to make Artie into an invalid and eventually I’d realized that they were right. Over the years we’d, bit by bit, as we could afford it, made sure that Artie could go wherever he wanted on the first floor of the house. We’d removed all the barriers to our son’s independence. It was the very best choice we’d ever made and we didn’t regret it at all.

“But then where would we live?” I asked stupidly.

He chuckled and gave me a hug. Roger had known me for a hell of a long time. He knew that I was pretty resistant to change until I found something to get excited about. “I was thinking about that. You know that Sander and George were talking about having three phases to their residential section…he showed me some of the plans he’s started playing with. He has one plan for a three bedroom, one level house with one of those master bathrooms like you see on those shows you watch on HGTN. It has a study for when you want to work from home and will hold all my books. He said that the blueprints will include an unfinished walkout basement on the lots with a slant to them. Of course, for an extra charge they will finish the basement as a rec room with a wet bar and bathroom.”

I looked thoughtful…I liked the idea of a basement with a bathroom but rather than a rec room, I’d prefer a full on library type of room. The study could be a mutual office for both of us and the library could be somewhere that we just relaxed and sipped wine late at night and just enjoyed each other’s company. I said as much to Roger and he smiled. “I’d love to sit with you in front of a fire with a nice craft beer as you read one of those horrible romance novels you pretend you don’t buy and I’m reading one of the sci-fi novels I don’t even try and hide. We’d need a ridiculously comfortable couch and one of those ottomans with the tray in the middle for our drinks.”

We snuggled together. “I’m going to miss having him under our roof.” I sighed. “Even tonight, the house feels as if he is coming home…but when he’s in New York, it just feel…”

“Empty.” Roger finished for me. “It is strange, but true. The way the house just feels so damn empty even with the two of us here and…I mean, remember, when the accident happened, we were in the process of applying to adopt a child, but after your recovery and Artie’s physical therapy and rehabbing the whole house and all that we went through during that time, we never got back to that place. So we don’t need this big a house. Perhaps, it’s time to let some new young family make it their home.”

I nodded. We had both been only children and we’d had the same fertility problems that our parents had experienced. Low sperm motility for him, polycystic ovaries including one so bad it had had to be removed before I was twenty-five for me. We’d wanted more children, but after the accident I was grateful that we’d only had Artie. If there had been a child in the backseat of my car that day, they would have been killed. I would have never made it back from that. Adopted or not, that child would have been mine. Some people are strong enough that they can lose a child and recover from that loss. I was never that strong. “I guess you’re right. But if we do sell the house and move…we’re paying Terry or Maribel…because interior decoration is not my strong suit.” We shared a laugh and cleaned up our mess. That night, we made love and it felt every bit as passion filled as it ever had.

Over the next few days, we finished celebrating Hanukah and celebrated Christmas, as much as we ever did. I texted both Santana and Brittany to let them know how much I loved Artie’s ring and how grateful I was that they were my daughters-in-law. When I saw them at the Boxing Day pot luck, I made sure to give them both big hugs and admire their rings. I gave them the small gifts I’d gotten them for Christmas and the seven donations in observance of Hanukah that I’d made in each of their names to charities, I hoped that they would find worthwhile. It seemed like it was just minutes later we were taking them to the airport to catch their flight back to the city that never sleeps. Fortunately, they were back just over a week later. We got a lot worked out. We were moving forward and it really felt good. Two-thousand and fourteen had been far different than I ever would have dreamed it would or could be. Twenty-fifteen was only going to get better…or worse depending on the perspective.

 

Haja Johnston PoV

Despite having a perfect job and a damn fine life. I had no desire to return to Mississippi to show off all that I had achieved since graduating high school. But I also had no desire to spend the holidays in my good sized Manhattan apartment all by my damn self. So I called my brother Barnaby and found out that he was currently kicking up rocks in our original country of origin, jolly old England. He understood my plight and encouraged me to make arrangements to spend the holiday with him. I took the seven-hour flight from Newark to Heathrow with no little trepidation. While I spoke to Barnaby often and we exchanged emails at least every other day, the simple truth was that I hadn’t seen my brother face to face in almost a decade.

Growing up, if I had been the antithesis of what our Mississippi home town had expected of a male child, Barnaby had been exactly what they wanted. He was athletic. He was attractive. He was smart, but not too bookish. He played every sport effortlessly. While I went to college to get the hell out of dodge, Barn had gone into the military. He had proven that it was the right choice for him just as college had been the right one for me. He’d gone in right after high school and he’d served in the navy for four years before getting out, getting bachelor’s degrees in both information technologies and international relations, in under three years. Then he got right back into the Navy and went through officer’s training and into the Seal program. Barnaby had been or still was, he and Cal were both a little weird about their statuses as to that, one hell of a Seal and I was more proud of his accomplishments than I was of my own and that was saying something because I was really damn proud of myself. He was no longer in the military, instead he worked for a Blackwater type international private security firm called Hellebore.

The provided many of the same services as Rangeman just on an even bigger, international, scale. However, when I’d checked Rangeman out to make sure that they were good for my clients, Barns had had nothing but great things to say about Ranger Manoso and his multistate firm. He, in fact, had good things to say about almost all of the men who were assigned to guard KAMA’s back. He knew several of them by their call signs because they were former Seals themselves. Barnaby encouraged me to get to know one of his former grunts, a guy named Cal who worked for Rangeman. I wasn’t sure about doing so…then I met him. Cal was six foot six with twenty-two inch broad shoulders and the muscles to make his broad frame look even more fantastic. He had a very military haircut, but there was enough hair there to show that it was really dark and really thick. His eyes were a gorgeous shade of green that made me finally understand JK Rowling’s descriptions of her most famous title character’s eyes. I didn’t find his flaming skull tattoo off putting in the least. I loved the fact that he had nicknamed it Johnny Blaze. He and I talked often over the course of the two months he was part of KAMA’s security detail. After he returned to Trenton, we still talked and saw each other whenever we could. The man was amazing in bed. Though from what I heard from Darcy…that may have been as much a hiring requirement at Rangeman as being ridiculously attractive seemed to be.

He was working over the holiday, providing protection for Rangeman’s residential clients, so that Ranger would be able to have time off over the season. Traditionally Ranger had worked so that his employees could have the time off, but his mother had apparently put her foot down and demanded that all her children spend Christmas at her home that year. Cal was apologetic, however, I wasn’t sure I was ready for our relationship to become ‘spend the holidays together’ serious yet. I did find and buy him a really nice Forseti steel hunting knife. The first time he disrobed with me he was wearing three knives in addition to his side arms. He told me that he actually preferred knives to guns but had broken one when dealing with a ‘skip’. So I thought it would be a good gift. He agreed with me that it was a perfect gift for him. His gift to me was just as thoughtful and borderline expensive. He gave me a Pebble smartwatch with a black band that I fell totally in love with once I got it synced with my phone.

After the wonderful KAMA employee Christmas party, Cal and I spent a lovely weekend together. He and Barns ended up having the chance to chat over face time. For some strange reason, I found it really hot that my brother and the man who I was really finding myself caring for were getting along. Barnaby had hated every man I’d ever dated. None of them were good enough for me as far as my brother was concerned. Granted, he had the nauseatingly annoying track record of being right about that…but there was something of a principle involved. Unfortunately, the fact that the two of them got along also meant that Cal was in on Barns’ super big secret and neither of them would tell me what it was. I laughed when I realized how petty I was being and made it up to Cal in the best possible of ways. Of course, on Monday, we had to part company. However, he was kind enough to take me to Newark International to catch my flight.

Despite the fact that I had an early flight from the US, with the time changes, Barns was done for the day when he picked me up and drove me to his two bedroom Dalston flat. “I’m sure you’re tired and hungry, so why don’t we order up some curry.” He said after taking my bag to his guest room. “Unless you’d rather have something else.” He asked with a wicked smirk on his face.

I laughed and threw a sofa pillow at him in appreciation of his sarcasm. I loved curry. I lived for curry. Barns and our mother felt certain that it was ironic since I’d not allowed her to touch the stuff when I was in utero. The food was soon ordered and we talked and caught up on the different aspects of the family gossip. The simple truth was that between the two of us we usually were able to get both sides of the story between our sister Catriona and our mum Fiona monthly arguments. Like all mum’s children, Catriona had gotten a college education, including a doctorate in international relations and fluency in fifteen languages and moved to New York where she got a job with the UN. She was currently living in Brussels, still working for the United Nations. She was in her late twenties, spoke fifteen languages, held doctorates in both International Relations and International Law. She was also unmarried and tended to date men for no longer than six months thus ending the relationship before things could get too serious. Barns and I were fairly certain that she was aromantic, but none of us wanted to be the one to tell out mother.

All of Mum and Cat’s contentions stemmed from Catriona’s decisions when it came to her private life. Mum bragged on Cat’s professional life more than anyone back home could really stand. That wasn’t to say that Mum wasn’t proud of all of her children, but eighty-five percent of Barnaby’s accomplishments couldn’t be discussed with anyone outside the military and as far as the citizens of Crowder were concerned, my being gay meant that any accomplishments I had were somehow lessened by my sexuality. It was a sick sad world but that was how they felt. That was fine. They were all jealous of Mum anyway because over the years as we’d made more and more money, Barns, Cat and I had renovated Mum’s sixteen hundred square foot house from top to bottom and added a nice large master suite for her comfort. She now had one of the nicest houses in town and we made sure that she always had good dependable care. She didn’t want to move from the place where she’d raised us, so we made sure that she was as comfortable as we could.

Barns and I ate and talked and talked and talked until too fucking early o’clock in the morning. It was perfect. The bed in the guest room was a wicked cool Murphy bed since the guest room also served as an office. It was long enough and more comfortable than I would have ever believed it could be. I’d arrived two Mondays before Christmas. So we had time to do touristy things that Barns had avoided when it was just him alone. We also had time to do some Christmas shopping. For Mum, I found a beautiful Burberry Ashby check purse and matching Merino wool and cashmere poncho and scarf set. Barnaby then decided that he’d get her a pair of diamond earrings and a pretty custom made bracelet that held four different gemstones repeated over and over in the same pattern around the classic ‘tennis’ formation. He had elected to go completely old school and use a chart of birthstones from the fifteenth through early twentieth centuries that he’d found online rather than going with the modern ones. He’d printed out the list of stones as they’d originally been assigned on some beautiful rose parchment paper and had that framed to put in with the gifts. According to his list the stones were a moonstone for Mum’s August birthday, a bloodstone for Barnaby’s December birth, an aquamarine for my own October birth and a cat’s eye for our changeable Gemini, Catriona’s June birthdate. It was strangely very beautiful. So much so that, upon seeing the finished bracelet, he and I went in together to have the same jeweler make her a matching necklace and earring. Then we thought about it and decided to have him make each of Mum’s children simple banded rings that had the stones inlayed into sterling silver. It would be a nice way to keep each other close no matter how far apart we actually were. And the rings weren’t really a problem since none of us were in any kind of a hurry to get married.

We got Mum’s gifts sent off with enough time to ensure that they would reach her by the Tuesday before Christmas then started looking around for something for each other and Catriona. Suddenly, Barns looked at his watch and hustled me out of the store and to the tube. As soon as we stepped foot through his door, he grabbed the bags I was carrying and shoved me toward the bathroom. “You do have something good for a higher end club, right?” he asked quickly. Not that I had a chance to answer as he pushed me into the bathroom and closed the door behind himself.

Within an hour we were both showered, shaved, and heading back out the door. Barnaby dragged me back to the rube and before I knew it, he was giving the door man of a ritzy, sexy little East End club called ‘The Admiral’s Arms’ two tickets and showing him a couple of passes. We were ushered in to the club and shown to seats very close to the front. Probably most people would have been asking a million and three questions trying to figure out what the hell was going on, but both Barns and I were far more of the ‘go with the flow’ kind of people. It was very rare that I was disappointed when I did go with the flow and that night was no exception to the rule. There in that club with its unassuming, kind of run down exterior and its plush, almost opulent interior, was a gorgeous nine foot long Yamaha grand piano. Seated at the piano was the most easily, most immediately, recognizable white man on the planet…at least to me…Sir Elton Hercules John. Elton John was playing at a tiny, intimate, little venue and we were just in time to see him.

I was totally, internally, fangirling all over the place. Watching and hearing Elton John play live was a lifelong dream and my brother was giving it to me as the best Christmas present in the history of the entire world. Sir Elton played some of my favorites of his classics and some amazing renditions of many traditional Christmas songs…it was one of the greatest moments of my entire life. At least that was what I thought, until Barnaby gave me a back stage pass. We headed to the back and I got to meet the Rocket Man face to face. “Sir Elton thank you so much for the tickets and passes. This is my brother Haja, who I told you about. He has been a fan since he was a kid.”

I shook hands with Elton John. I shook hands with Elton John. I SHOOK HANDS WITH ELTON JOHN. I willed myself to calm down. I’d met and shaken hands with a good number of world famous musicians over my career, only two of them had made me squeal in my head like a little girl. Both of them I’d met in the time since I’d started working with KAMA, Prince and Elton John. “Sir Elton, you have no idea how much I am stomping on my inner fan girl to keep her contained. It is such a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

His laughter was almost lyrical it was so musical. “Mr. Johnston, when your brother asked me to help him give his younger brother a once in a lifetime Christmas gift…I really couldn’t say no. the man saved my life.”

“I am very proud of how many times I’ve had someone tell me that. He really is a particularly good brother.” I returned.

Sir Elton gave me a long, measuring look. “I’ve been trying to puzzle out why your name seems so familiar, Mr. Johnston.”

I smiled. I had wondered how closely he watched his management. “I am the artist manager for KAMA. I worked with Julian to get your permission for KAMA to record a cover of your beautiful song ‘Believe’.” I replied honestly. Julian Wright and I had hammered out the details over the course of the month of November, Sir Elton had signed off on it during the first week of December and the song was scheduled to be one of the first recorded for KAMA’s sophomore album.”

“Oh yes. I remember now. You know your clients are quite extraordinary. Ms. Jones has a voice you only hear once or twice in a generation. And her lovers…their instrumentality is very rare for young people their age. I was quite surprised that such young people would be interested in a song recorded probably before they were born.” Sir Elton chuckled.

I understood his curiosity. “Well, the simple truth is that all three of them were raised in households filled with music. Sam’s parents love country and top forties music. Puck’s father listened to heavy metal and his mother is a huge Springsteen, Prince and Michael Jackson fan. Mercedes’ family introduced her to a huge variety of genres from a very young age. It is probably why there doesn’t seem to be a single type of music she can’t handle and do so beautifully. ‘Believe’ was Sam’s suggestion. If I remember correctly, it’s one of his mother’s favorite songs.”

“Yes, the songs our mothers sing to us do leave a very lasting impression.” Sir Elton said with a grin. “Well, I’ll be honest, I am quite looking forward to hearing what your clients are going to do with the song. Their version of ‘Rescue Me’ was transcendent.” 

“Oh wow…you have no idea how much that will mean to them.” I told him honestly. He smiled and took a selfie with me. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to talk for very much longer, he had other fans to meet. He did tell me to have Darcy contact his social media manager so KAMA and he could become friends online. I knew that that news would make a whole lot of people’s days. 

I managed to hold it together until we got back outside. But as soon as the fresh air hit me, my inner fangirl popped out and did a happy dance all over the place. I had never had a night like that in my life. The whole way home I was still geeking out. “He played ‘Candle in the Wind’ Barns…that is my favorite song about a dead movie icon of all time.” I said happily. We stopped at a simple ocakbasi restaurant that was open late and had kebabs. By the time we made it back to Barns’ apartment I was full and happy and had finally calmed down.

We didn’t make it to bed until like three in the morning, so when someone started banging on the door at seven-thirty the next morning, it was really rather painful. I don’t think either of us were awake, though Barns was armed to the teeth. Okay, so he had one knife, but it was a big ass knife. He looked through the view hole and chuckled. “I’m only opening the door so we can go back to sleep.” He said as he unlocked the complex locking system.

When he opened the door, the first thing I saw was the head full of curly, almost black, brown sista locs and knew immediately that our little sister was in the house. “Kitty Cat, I thought you were stuck in Brussels dealing with that ISIL shit storm?”

She of course rolled her eyes at the use of a ‘long forgotten’ childhood nickname. “It is Christmas Eve, my big brothers are together in an EU member nation, of course I came. If you didn’t want me to come, you really shouldn’t have posted all those awesome brotherly love pictures to my Facebook page. Kind of felt like you were rubbing it in that you were together and I was by myself. Granted, I have to leave Saturday morning…but I’ll get to spend the holiday itself with you guys.”

“Wow…it’s been years since we’ve been in the same place at the same time on a major holiday.” Barns laughed.

“Yup…so get dressed and take me somewhere I can buy you two idgeits something for Christmas, because I kind of forgot that part of the whole ‘holiday together’ thing.” Cat shot back.

We both flipped her off and went back to sleep for another couple of hours. The smell of a traditional English fry up woke me up ten. I was feeling both more human and completely starving, so I got out of the bed and threw on a shirt and walked out to find Cat making sausage, American style ‘streaky’ bacon, fried bread, beans, toasted mushrooms, and even fried tomatoes. Barns joined us and we sat down to eat. It was just wow…”Cat, I didn’t know you could cook.” I teased.

“Shut up Haja, you have literally no room to talk. You know good and well that your ass eats take out every night.” She tossed back.

I shrugged unconcernedly. “I can cook. I just choose not to.” I said smugly. We all laughed at my bullshit.

As soon as we finished eating breakfast Barns and I made quick work of cleaning the kitchen back up and we took turns showering and getting dressed. While Barnaby got dressed, I showed Cat the pictures from the night before. She was totally jealous. She told Barns that she wanted to meet Madonna for her birthday. He just laughed, but something told me that if he could make it happen he totally would. We headed to Bond Street and were entirely wrong for making fun of the people we saw on the tube. But in our defense, we did just text it back and forth…we weren’t speaking out loud…though that may have actually made it worse. Once we were walking London’s historic, luxury shopping district, Cat seemed to zero in on the Louis Vuitton shop like she had sonar and radar and GPS and everything else locked in on the place. She left the store with a mirror bag charm and key holder, a key pouch and a Neverfull GM handbag. She never touched her own wallet the entire time we were in the store.

Then again, I dragged her ass to Bvlgari and didn’t touch mine. I left there with the entire Aqva Pour Homme line, a brand new wallet, and an Octo Finissimo watch. Yup…then it was Barnaby’s turn. He dragged us to Buccellati and me and Cat had to go in together to get him the watch of his dreams. But we were good with it. I mean, we’d catered to Catriona’s wants. She had catered to mine and he had made a lifelong dream of mine come true…so I considered it a small price to pay to make him as happy as he was when we left that store. Once we finished shopping we had lunch at Alyn Williams at The Westbury then headed back to Barns flat. On the way he had some kind of miraculous idea, spent, literally, twelve minutes texting back and forth with someone and suddenly we were all rushing back to go through the clothes we’d each brought with us. Catriona had brought along a black and white, Versace, embellished color blocked, sheath dress and a great pair of amazingly gorgeous Jimmy Choo Romy Feather point-toe pumps that were black, white and red all over. So Barnaby looked through my shit and before I knew it he was decking me out in my white Armani Collezioni dress shirt and flat front slacks from the same line. He tossed me his blazer that matched the slacks, I hadn’t brought mine with me thinking that it wouldn’t be needed. His was too big in the shoulders but, other than that, it fit well enough. He had two different ties that would highlight Cat’s shoes and we each threw one of them on. He’d pulled on a black Diesel blazer and slacks with a barely gray dress shirt so together we looked like a very traditional family…though we were really anything but. His shoes were a very traditional black, men’s dress shoe, or so I though. When I looked very closely, I realized that they were actually so dark a red as to be confused with black. I wasn’t that subtle, I’d pulled out my Ferragamo, red velvet slip on loafers.

This time Barnaby actually took us to the garage and he drove us to a home in a more residential area of the city. Before I knew it, he had us bundled out of the car and into the building, which apparently housed a photographer. Barns introduced us to his friend Helen. She was very cute…but not pretty or beautiful. She was actually kind of adorable. One of those women who would always have to work harder to prove themselves because just looking at her bred condescension and babying. But she proved to be strong and able and stubborn. She spent twenty minutes chatting at us and relaxing us into basically being our true, goofy selves. Then she grabbed the camera. Ultimately, we looked like grown up versions of our Mum’s little kids on a Sunday afternoon before we could get out of our church clothes. It was so much fun. Then she took a few more studied, ‘professional’ poses. “Alright then, I’m done with ya.” She said happily. “Barnaby, you’d better be happy that you introduced me to the Beckhams. You do realize that it is the day before Christmas Eve?” she groused good naturedly. “I’ll have them ready later, at least the digital version…and the calendar you want to have printed for your mother. You’ll just need to send it to a printer and have it sent on to your mum.”

“Thank you Helen. I wouldn’t have asked, except this was a shock and who knows when all three of us will be in the same place at the same time again this decade.” He laughed and gave her a hug. “It’s your own fault for being one of the premier family photographers in the area.”

“You owe me for this one, BB.” She challenged.

“My boss is allowing me to have his table at Le Gavroche tonight. Why don’t you change and join us.” Barns offered with a smile.

I was a little surprised when Helen rolled her eyes. “You are only offering because you know that I am due at my mother’s in Bristol tonight. One day you’ll actually ask me to dinner when I can actually go.”

Barnaby just laughed. “Yeah, but not when I’m going anywhere that costs as much as Le Gavroche.” He shot back. “You eat like you have two hollow legs. I have no idea how you stay so tiny.”

“Shite, I have got to go if I want to get there before Mum locks the house up for the night.” Helen said frantically realizing the time. “Catriona, Haja…it was lovely to make your acquaintance. I don’t quite know how you survived childhood with Barnaby as a brother…but good on you mates.” She shook our heads and shooed us out the door quickly and efficiently.

Cat looked at Barnaby with a minor glare. “When were you going to tell us about dinner?”

He just chuckled. “I just got a response from Angus about thirty minutes ago. Didn’t want to get your hopes up too much if I couldn’t manage the trick.”

I laughed at the flummoxed look on Cat’s face. She hated having her emotions tempered by logic. “Well then, lead on MacDuff.”

“You know that that isn’t the actual quote. The actual quote was ‘Lay on MacDuff’. Lay there actually meant ‘to make a vigorous attack’.” I said with a wicked grin.

Barns and Cat exchanged a long look. “You speak more languages than God and yet somehow he is still the bigger nerd.” He said with a grin he knew would take the sting from his words and yet it also served to establish his ‘sibling superiority’.

Of course that meant war. The entire rest of the ride to the extremely posh restaurant was filled with torturous teasing as we played a familiar game of taunting one-upmanship. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were seated really quickly. Barnaby’s boss had called ahead so they would know that we would be there. Dinner was amazing. The menu was, of course, in French. But that was perfectly fine, while I didn’t speak fifteen languages like Catriona or even six like Barnaby, French was one of the two other languages I’d learned over my life. We went all out, hors-d'oeuvres, salads, entrees and dessert. By the time we finished, we were so full it was almost painful. However, thanks to the wine that had accompanied each course, we were feeling no pain. At least Cat and I weren’t, Barns was the designated driver, so he’d had less than half a cup of wine with each course and quite a bit of water. Cat and I had killed the rest of two bottles. It was a really good night.

As soon as we were safely back inside Barns’ flat, we changed into pajamas and got comfortable. Then we spent the next few hours teasing each other by trying to remember the most embarrassing stories from our childhood about each other. Then we fell asleep on the living room floor like a bunch of morons. The next morning, I cobbled together some scrambled eggs and toast for the three of us, which may or may not have been the only things I could successfully cook, and we ate our breakfast then Skyped with Mum. She was super excited to see us all together. She’d received and opened her Christmas gifts and was in seventh heaven. Catriona had sent her a selection of Brussels chocolates and a few boxes of a native Belgium cookie called Speculoos. She’d also sent her seven Belgian lace handkerchiefs and cook book that gave her recipes for any number of Belgian delicacies and a bunch of nonperishable specialty Belgian ingredients to get her started. She loved the Burberry things, she was already wearing the bracelet very, very proudly…but it was easy to tell that she though that Cat’s gifts were super thoughtful. However, the come from behind winner was the set of pictures that Barnaby emailed her signed with all of our names and the fact that she would be getting real photographs and a calendar collect of them. She was so happy that it made the whole trip even more worth it.

We chilled around the flat just talking and reminiscing until Cat and I had no choice but to get some rest. We were both flying out the next day. We did help Barns get his place cleaned back up and we, okay mainly Barns and Cat, made the contents of his refrigerator into a very delightful, if completely untraditional dinner before we repacked our things. Barns told us that he’d send us out rings when they were ready, which necessitated us taking out our phones to show Cat the two identical broad bands and the one feminine version that matched and Barns and I explained the stones that would be inset into the band all the way around it circumference. We also took some time and looked through the entire digital portrait portfolio Barns’ friend Helen had taken of us. We quickly made the arrangements to have them all printed and put into a scrap book with an individual shot of each of us and one large shot of all three of us framed and delivered to Mum’s home in Mississippi in addition to the calendar. Cat and I got Barns to send each of us the digital portfolio as well, we could easily have them printed ourselves in our respective cities. The next morning, we were all up, fed and watered and out the door by ten local time. My flight left for Newark at a quarter to twelve. Cat’s took off for Brussel-Nationaal just a few minutes later. It had been a great vacation and an almost perfect holiday.

Of course, as soon as I got back to New York, it was time to hit the ground running. There were several studio sessions. I couldn’t help but feel that Sir Elton Hercules John was going to be amazingly proud of what the artists I managed had created with his words and underlying music. They had revitalized, rearranged and made the song their own. It was beautiful…I immediately started thinking of a video concept that would be perfect for the stunning musical event that they created with that cover. I was greatly looking forward to making my clients even better known, and all together richer in the coming year. Not only because it benefited me, but mainly because they were damn good people and musicians and they deserved it. Oh yes…two thousand and fifteen was going to be a very good year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're an American, don't forget to Vote on November 8th.   
> If you aren't an American...don't laugh at us too hard, Please.   
> Drop me a comment and let me know what you thought of the chapter.
> 
> TTFN,   
> Anni


	13. The Snow's Gotta Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurt & Azimio's Christmases

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****
> 
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories
> 
> Special thanks to Isis Aurora Tomoe who is my current Beta rock star   
> If there are any problems in the Azimio section, it's all on me. Isis didn't have a chance to look it over as I just wrote it today. If you see any mistakes, please let me know.

Kurt PoV

I was starting to feel far older than my actual age. I really did love my life. Things were perfect between Blaine and I. My schooling was going well. My third semester at NYADA ended with me having earned a three point seven five, a fact I was very proud of. I hadn’t been invited to do the Winter Showcase, but I had been assured that it was because they wanted me for the Spring Showcase that year instead. My grades at FIT were even better. And the truth was that I was enjoying my classes at the Fashion Institute far more than I was at the academy for the dramatic arts. In fact, the more I worked with Mercedes and the guys the more I found myself wanting to concentrate more fully on fashion and leave the dreams of Broadway to the wayside. I was just so tired of feeling so tired so much of the time. I was very happy to go home to Lima so I could discuss those leanings with Carole and my father. Of course, the conversation with the parents would have to wait. As we’d done the year before, the first night that I was home, Finn and I had to have a nice little chat. We got together some snacks and large bottles of water, and I made my famous hot chocolate. I heard all about his and Vince’s shopping excursion, and how Finn was feeling about his schooling and his relationships with both Lauren and Vince. He was really excited about the gift that he and Lauren had gotten for Vince. To be honest, it was a perfect Christmas gift…I was ecstatic for Vince and his sister.

Of course, as soon as Finn asked me about school, my conundrum spewed forth as if it had a life of its own. As soon as I laid all my feelings out on the table, Finn asked me a deeply insightful and ridiculously simple yet painfully complex question. “Why are you going to NYADA?”

“I…I…Well I mean, I auditioned and I got in. It’s a very prestigious school. It was an amazing opportunity.” I explained.

Finn just nodded. “Then why are you going to FIT?”

I may have waxed poetic about fashion and design and reiterated for the million and third time how much I’d loved experimenting with interior design and with styling Mercedes and her guys. “GaGa Finn, finding the perfect dress for Cedes or having the bloggers mention how awesome a pair of sneakers I found for Sam looked as they were going to an event…there is just nothing better.”

“Then why are you still going to NYADA. It sounds like you know what you want to do and if you quit NYADA and concentrated just on FIT wouldn’t that make you happier and, I don’t know, get you to where you want to be faster?” he asked me in that inimitable confusion that he often held.

I shrugged. “I fought really hard to get into NYADA. I beat Rachel out for that spot. It was one of the best moments of my life.”

Finn rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but didn’t you just say that your passion has always been and will always continue to be fashion. So why would you not just concentrate on making your passion come to life rather than dividing your time and energy and attention just to, what? Make Rachel miserable? How is that a good thing? I mean, it’s kind of something Rachel would do.”

I groaned. “Oh Gaga…it really is something that that Rachel Berry would do.”

“So, tomorrow…over brunch with Mom and Burt, talk it through with them. I remember that NYADA had their conservatory program that would let you graduate in two years…can you finish that up with your next semester?”

I had to think about that. The way the performing arts program I was in was designed, we basically were put through the same intensive program as the conservatory students…we just had two full years of further honing in our acting, dance and -slash- or singing as needed. That would allow me to take classes in interior design and even men’s wear and…in moments I was truly enraptured in the ideas of all the ways that I could reorganize my time and still finish FIT in twenty seventeen as planned with three bachelor degrees rather than the one and if things worked out like Mercedes and I had planned years before any of this had even begun to come to fruition…I really could have my own fashion line by the time I was thirty.

When I shared that with Finn he smiled and reached over and mussed my hair. “You should totally do it. You look tons happier talking about that than you did when you were thinking about NYADA.”

I couldn’t even argue the point. For the rest of the evening, I tabled the thoughts of my schooling while Finn and I caught up on our individual goings on. He promised that he would make sure that I was present when he went shopping for Lauren’s actual engagement ring. I showed him what I had finally decided upon for one of Blaine’s Christmas gift. We talked about the classes he was scheduled to take next semester and how he’d finally found a good balance between his Sims addiction and making time for things like homework and projects. I explained to him how proud I was of how well he was doing in school. The fact that he hadn’t given up on schooling after the car wreck was truly inspirational. To me, it showed that he had matured and settled and really understood the difference between making a future and just moving through life.

The next morning, I slept in a little late as I’d stayed up quite a bit later than I was used to doing. However, I was still able to pull together a nice brunch for my parents. It was something of a tradition for us to do this the first morning after I returned to Lima. It was a nice way for us to reconnect and me to bring them up to speed on what was happening in my world even as I learned all the new things in theirs. I made several nice choices for both breakfast and lunch. A small tureen of butternut squash, apple and pear soup sat alongside roasted pear and chocolate scones. I made heart healthy French toast and a low fat frittata with smoked salmon and scallions. I also tried a new recipe for cocoa-espresso waffles and a nice, simple, vanilla maple syrup to go with them. As soon as I was finished arranging the food in a very pleasing display on the table, I called Dad and Carole into brunch. We sat down and made some small talk as we served ourselves. Then Dad started telling me about the new venture that the parent’s corporation had underway. “By Valentine’s Day, we’ll have a second location…open. It’s going to lean towards the imported cars and leave our regulars coming to the location they know best. I’ll spend three days a week at each and have both closed on Sundays. But the best part is that since the old shop is paid off and I won’t have rent or anything at the new shop, plus we get a portion of the rent for all the other stores at the complex, I can afford to hire managers for each shop who’ll have to do all the paperwork, and I’ll be able to just work on the cars.” He said ridiculously happily.

I knew that was a very big deal for my father. He’d had to take time off from the shop when he’d been battling Sue Sylvester for the state representative seat. Thankfully that had only been a two-year term and he hadn’t run again. It was not something he’d enjoyed and while he had fought hard for his constituency, the fact that he wasn’t one to play politics had made sure the rest of the state house happy to see the back of him too. I told him how happy I was for him. “How many mechanics will you need to hire? Where do you even go to find them?”

“Oh…that’s the best part. Since all the guys at the current shop are ASE certified to handle both domestics and imports, they’ll be mentors and help me to train the new guys. I’ve already, technically, hired five guys and a young lady who just graduated from OTC in Cleveland. They are more than happy to move to Lima in the next month or two. Within a year or two they will be fully trained up and will be able to move on, or stay as they want. Best of all, what they will make here is comparable to what they’d make in Cleveland, but the cost of living is a lot lower. Plus, they will have benefits and that’s almost unheard of outside the major franchises.” Dad explained with a small grin.

“Wow, Dad…that’s great.” I said honestly. “I know how much you like getting new mechanics trained right. Remember that guy you hired who had been trained to claim to do oil changes and not really do them so they got paid without really doing anything?” I murmured.

Dad nodded. “Ended up getting his previous employer certification revoked and his shop closed. Still can’t believe that he was actually doing that shit.” He grumbled. “Anyway…Carole has some good news too.”

I looked over at my beaming stepmother. She had really filled a void without trying, in any even imagined way, to replace my mother in my heart. A large part of that was that, while Carole shared a great many of the best traits I remembered in my Mom, they were two very different women. “I’ve been offered a promotion to charge nurse of the Maternity floor. It would really only be a slight raise, but I would have much better hours and a more normal schedule.”

“Oh wow, you and Dad could, conceivably, work things so that you’re both off on Sundays.” I said happily.

She nodded and smiled. “Best of all, I’ll actually be able to take a real vacation rather than two or three days here and there. Well, once I pay everyone back who covered for me while Finn was in his coma.” Her voice still hitched at the thought of the fact that we’d come very close to losing my brother and her son. “It may take me some time...but Burt and I are hopeful that we can visit you in New York and maybe even go and see one of KAMA’s concerts in someplace cool like Florida or California next summer.”

“I know that Blaine, Cedes, Sam and Puck would all love that and I would love it if you could visit the brownstone. You could see how homey we’ve managed to make it once we got all settled in.” I was filled with joy, which tended to make me babble away like Sam and I shared some close familial connection. I told them all about the conundrum I was facing when it came to continuing the duel education path I currently trod.

Carole gave me a wide smile. “Kurt, you love fashion. The first thing you did the day we met was give me a mini-makeover. Yes, you are an amazing singer. You would be perfect in many ways on the ‘Great White Way’…but you absolutely, positively, totally and completely love fashion. It is at the very heart of who you are. If you believe that you can finish NYADA on your terms, without dropping out, because that could hurt you in the future, then do so and focus on the course load that makes you happiest.”

Dad was even more forthright. “Until you got all wrapped up in that Berry girl, all you wanted to do with your life was to live in the fashion world. Yeah, you loved to since and you’ve always been great at it, but you dreamed about going to FIT. You wanted to study fashion and business and have your own fashion house by the time you were thirty. It wasn’t until after you went to Dalton that suddenly everything was different and you wanted to go to a performing arts school and then onto Broadway. Well, now, you’ve been doing both for two years but I can’t tell you much at all about what you’re learning at NYADA. But I know more about textiles and color wheels than a hetero-normative man my age has any right to. Over the summer, you came alive as you were studying the ins and outs of pattern and fabric mixing in designing the office spaces. You sounded happier than you had in years. So if you want to wrap up your whole NYADA thing after this year and just concentrate on FIT, you have my blessing. You’re already making a damn good living at it working with Lil MeDe, Puck and Sam, so go for it.”

There was such a large weight off my shoulders hearing that. for the rest of our brunch, even after we were joined by Finn, I couldn’t contain my happiness. I shared with them my most exciting news it had been very hard to keep it to myself the night before and even more so that morning. I took a deep, cleansing breath and started my story. “So now that I have all three of you in one place, I have some very important news to share.” I slipped my left hand into the pocket of my silk robe and felt the thick band of platinum. It took me very little time at all, even working with my left hand as I was, to have it resting where it belonged around the base of the third finger. Pulling it out, I turned my hand towards my family, “Blaine and I got engaged!”

Carole’s squeal of delight filled the room. Dad just looked proud and almost as if he’d already known and expected the announcement. Finn’s laughter was boisterous and happy. I felt truly at peace knowing that my family was as happy about my announcement as I was. “Tell me everything. Did he take you somewhere nice?”

I kind of expected Dad and Finn to congratulate me and head out, but they were just as interested as Carole. So I settled in and told them everything. “Well, you know how Blaine and I had agreed to keep our standing Saturday night dates even during the exam week…just for stress relief.” Finn nodded while Dad and Carole looked like they thought it had been a smart decision. “Well, I’d been expecting one of our usual dates. And despite his parent’s wealth, Blaine happens to be the king of reasonable dates. I mean, half the time we only spend subway fare but I never feel like we’d not had a blast and we weren’t the kings of New York.”

“That’s because Blaine was raised right.” Dad interjected with a knowing grin.

“True.” I replied as I thought back to the previous Saturday night.

Blaine had shocked me by telling me to go all out when I got dressed. Usually he subtly tried to get me to keep things a little understated. Of course that rather large deviation from the norm told me that we were going to have an atypical date. So I followed his instructions and decided to definitely put my best foot forward. A charcoal Givenchy extra trim fit textured wool suit had been my gift to myself for my birthday so I paired that with an amazing Alexander McQueen McQ screen printed dress shirt, black, McQueen oversized sole bluchers and my mounted hippo head brooch. I used my carmine red and white silk cravat to add some color to my outfit and keep me ready for anything. The evening was quite cold so I pulled on my Burberry for Barney’s wool blend, hooded, duffle coat…it was navy, which I would have preferred that it had been black or charcoal…but it happened to be the only dark, formal, coat I owned at that moment. So, it would just have to do. I was all ready by seven ten, which was only ten minutes after our scheduled seven o’clock departure time.

Blaine had gotten ready in Artie, Santana and Brittany’s guest room. He looked so mature and sexy in his custom Brooks Brothers Madison fit, Golden Fleece suit. Amazingly enough, he’d left off the plaid and suspenders and bow tie, instead he’d paired it with a bright white dress shirt and a silk tie that was small white dots on a field of burgundy silk. He’d done something different with his hair as well; finding a happy medium between allowing his curls their freedom as he often did at home, and I honestly preferred, and the usual helmet he forced them into with gel and products. He had no idea how happy that made me. The night started off with a cab ride down to the south side of the island. From there we took a night cruise that took us around the harbor and showed us the beauty of Governor’s Island, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty at night. When we were all the way out, gazing back at the Manhattan skyline, Blaine took my hand and got down on one knee. “Kurt Elizabeth Hummel…my life was changed the very first time you infiltrated the Warbler’s meeting room. My heart was yours when you showed that you didn’t care a whit for what other people thought and you made us all weep for a tiny little songbird. I can’t even begin to think about when I first looked into your eyes and saw my future. But I know that no matter what this world, this life may throw at me…I can face it all with you at my side. Will you make me the happiest man on earth and agree to become my husband?” he was holding out a black velvet box and nestled inside was my ring. It was perfect. A nice strong, wide but rounded platinum band with a channel set center diamond of roughly one carat. It was round cut and had a glow to it such was the clarity.

I almost couldn’t speak. I was filled with a joy stronger than any I’d ever before known. For a moment, all I could do was nod. Then it was as if a dam broke and I was shouting out yes as if my life depended on it. Blaine stood and moved the ring from its black velvet nest onto my finger and we shared a kiss that was sweet and gentle and yet held more love than anyone probably had any right to experience. As we kissed, several people…who I had assumed were just fellow passengers on the cruise stood and started to sing the Gene Kelly classic “You Were Meant for Me” from “Singin’ in the Rain”. Then there was champagne and songs and love and it was just beautiful. I could have dragged him home right then to celebrate, but when we got back on dry land we were whisked away to Le Grenouille for dinner. The restaurant was everything I’d imagined it to be. The maître d' led us straight through the front room of VIPs, I saw fashion maven Andre Leon Talley holding court in a blue and white, Isabel Toledo cape and buckled shoes and we were seated immediately at an intimate little table for two. It smelled wonderful. Even though it was the middle of December there were lilies and cherry blossoms streaming out of huge vases as part of the décor.

Dinner was superb. As soon as we were seated, Blaine ordered a magnum of Pommery Cuvee Louise Brut champagne from 2002. A fact I totally withheld from my parents. He also suggested that we each order for the other…which for some strange reason really tickled my fancy. I immediately bypassed the pike quenelles in Champagne sauce with caviar, oxtails braised in red Burgundy, mustardy veal kidney flambéed in Cognac, soufflés, and floating islands and chose the La Bisque de Homard for Blaine. One of the first things I learned about him was that the only hot soup he really liked was lobster bisque…seeing it on the menu was fortuitous. The smile he gave me let me know that I’d made the right choice. As did he. Blaine ordered me the La Crab Cake Grenouille, which were sumptuous jumbo lump crab cakes with lemon caper sauce. Our ‘service captain’ was efficient but personable and affable. He quickly realized our reason for celebration and congratulated us with a sincere smile.

As we celebrated our happiness, we chatted and I couldn’t take my eyes off my ring. “What do you have planned for tomorrow?” I asked suddenly.

“I’m finishing up the edits to my sociology paper. It has to be emailed to my professor by midnight tomorrow night.” He reminded me.

I nodded. That would be perfect. It would give me time to go and see if I could find him a proper engagement ring too. We were completely equal in all things. He deserved a ring to show off as well. But I tabled that thought until later and focused on having dinner with my fiancé to celebrate our engagement. By the time we were selecting the next course…we may have been getting a little bit tipsy. I know that I was anyway. I very happily ordered my fiancé the Noix de St Jacques, puree de Truffles accompanies by fondue du Poreaux…or the seared scallops topped with Truffle puree, and accompanied by veal xeres vinegar reduction. His selection of the homard rotie, tombee et fenouil avec suc d’Agrumes for me was the most decadent thing I’d ever eaten. The seared lobster was sweet. The compote of Fennel was delightfully amazing and the citrus spice reduction tied the two together nicely. We even had dessert, though that was probably less to do with needing any more to eat than it did with wanting the evening to never end…and allowing ourselves some more time to work the champagne out of our systems. The soufflé espresso…no translation needed…was exactly what the doctor ordered. I’m sure that Blaine’s tartlette aux fraises avec sorbet aux fruits rouge, or strawberry tart with red fruit sorbet, had the same benefit without all the caffeine, but it was certainly delicious.

We took a cab home, making out very little in the back seat as the driver took us from Midtown to Harlem. When we got home, we tipped a little excessively and quickly made our way inside and up to our suite of rooms. What followed was five and a half hours of building and exploding passion. I awoke in the early afternoon alone in the mess that we’d made of our bed. I heard the shower running and realized that Blaine had tried to let me sleep in since I had completed all my NYADA projects and only had two exams at FIT to prepare for. I slipped out of bed and joined my fiancé in the shower…loving the very thought of calling him my fiancé. After a long hot shower together, Blaine threw on some lounging clothes and got to work on his essay. I got dressed to do a little shopping and threw our bedding in the wash since Bautista and Patrick were already off for the holidays. Once I’d remade the bed with new linens, I kissed Blaine on the head and texted Mercedes. Thank Gaga that my trio of friends had flown back so early they were actually home before I’d even woken up. I, of course, swore her to secrecy. And she was such a good friend that her fiancés-slash-hubbies even thought that we were going to look for something for her to wear to the Golden Globes. Though Ruth and I had that all figured out.

I showed her my new accessory…the only one I would never remove…and she squealed in appreciation and shared happiness. “So what is your budget?”

I had to think a minute. Since she, Sam and Noah had forced me to take the position as their junior stylist in a more official manner, I had far more resources than I would normally have had. I quickly calculated what I’d gained in my holiday bonus and decided to go all in. “Up to eighty-five hundred dollars.”

Cedes smiled wickedly. “That’s a whole lot of love.” She teased. I was fairly certain that it wouldn’t even pay for the diamond in my ring…but it was what I could afford. I think she must have read my mind…how deep was our friendship that she could do so. “You know, I’ve got your back if you find something outside that, right?”

I kind of shrugged. “Yes, I know…but it wouldn’t mean as much, you know?”

“I can definitely understand your point of view mon ami. Just saying…the offer is on the table.”

“And it is much appreciated.” I told her honestly.

As we went on our grand excursion though…it was pretty soon apparent that there just weren’t all that many places that carried suitable rings for men who were getting engaged. We checked out Tiffany and while they had several lovely wedding bands for men…nothing they had really worked for an engagement ring. Then we hit Neiman Marcus and they didn’t have anything that worked either. Same story at Nordstroms, Barneys, Saks. We went into Graff and I saw more than one really nice ring, but the cheapest of them cost about three times my budget. Mercedes did see a great piece she was considering getting for herself…but it was definitely something Oscar or Grammy worthy so it could wait. Finally, we hailed a cab and in desperation we asked him to take us somewhere I could find a great ring for my fiancé Blaine. The guy looked to be very much of middle eastern decent and for a minute, I was a little worried that I was going to end up stoned to death…but he just smiled and said he knew just the place.

He drove us out of Manhattan and into Brooklyn to the Williamsburg section of the borough. “My daughter…she works for a jewelry maker. Not some little hole in the wall…looks hand crafted jewelry maker but a real, honest to goodness jeweler. Though the store is a hole in the wall. He will have something for you.” He told us determinedly. When we got there he parked and took us to a door with a buzzer and intercom. When a female voice answered his buzz, he smiled and conversed with the woman in Farsi or Bengali or something.

For the first time, I realized that we had done a ridiculously stupid thing. I may have started to get worried about our idiocy to the point of hyperventilation but then Mercedes reached over and grabbed my hand. She gave me a hard look and kind of jiggled the hand holding mine. I felt the bracelet she couldn’t remove and instant calm descended. When she nodded back towards the street and I saw a black Jeep Grand Cherokee, I relaxed even further. At some point she must have notified her security that we were going out of the way. Then I realized that she had probably let them know before we’d even left the brownstone and they had been unobtrusively following us and ensuring our privacy as we shopped. Relieved, I headed into that small little shop with a renewed sense of hope.

Inside we met our Ranjit, our cabbie’s, daughter Tahmima who introduced us to her boss, Abharan. He was the shortest man I had ever met. He was barely taller than Mercedes and she was in flats. Tahmima had to translate for us because Abharan only spoke Tibetic. She helped us make known to him what we were looking for and I showed him the ring that Blaine had gifted me with. There was a long stream of Tibetic from Abharan. Only for Tahmima to ask us for Blaine’s ring size. When I told them that he wore a nine and quarter, Abharan disappeared into the back, far faster than one would have expected for such a wizened old man. Tahmima gushed for a moment over Mercedes and by the time my bestie had given the happy young woman an autograph, Abharan had returned with a tray of rings.

There were several different styles of very masculine rings on the tray. A few were a little too close to the double edge channel look of mine so they were immediately out the running. I didn’t want our rings to actually match. That would need to wait on our wedding bands. Ironically enough the next ones I set aside looked too much like wedding rings. Finally I had it narrowed down to three choices. All had rounded bands and squared or rectangular faces. The most daring was a nine jewel, signet look ring. I picked it up and saw that the diamonds were only a little bigger than chips. I was rocking a carat…no way was I getting Blaine chips. So that one was returned to the tray. Probably Abharan could change the stones…but I really wanted to go home with the ring that day. Finally, it came down to a choice between two very similar rings. The first of the rings that had three diamonds set in the rectangular face with more platinum showing at the edges and a thin canal all the way around the ring. The other had no canal and five diamonds in the rectangular front.

Ultimately, I chose the five diamond ring for the weirdest of reasons. Blaine’s dream was for us to have or adopt three children. Okay, his original idea had been five, but I talked him down to three. So I picked the ring that most closely resembled our dreams for our future family. Then Abharan and Tahmima did the strangest thing. They closed the ring in between their hands and said something in a murmured language I didn’t recognize…not that I would have but still…when they opened their hands I swear the platinum was shinier and the diamonds sparkled even more than they had before. Abharan looked at me and said the first thing he’d said in English since we’d arrived. “Blessing.”

“Oh, I don’t believe in God.” I returned in shock.

Abharan said something and Tahmima and Ranjit both laughed. Tahmima looked at me and said something that Mercedes and Mama Dani had been telling me for years. “Just because you do not believe in Her…doesn’t mean that SHE doesn’t believe in you.”

Mercedes poked me in the side and gave me a look that clearly said ‘I told you so’. But I just looked back at the wizened old man and said thank you and asked the price. When they told me that even after taxes it was under five thousand dollars, I was ready to kiss any deity they believed in. They affixed it in a red velvet nest in a beautiful wooden ring box. I paid them the ridiculously inexpensive amount, grateful that Tahmima had an iPhone and a square. She saw us and her father to the door and Ranjit took us back to the brownstone. I didn’t just tip him…I literally gave him a hundred bucks above and beyond the usual fare and tip. I was that grateful for his hooking us up.

That evening after Cedes and I cooked dinner, the eight of us sat down and had a great time laughing and talking and listening to the crazy assignments we’d been dealing with. By the time dinner was finished, the table cleared and the kitchen cleaned, I was pretty ready to adjourn to our rooms. I had an exam at ten the next morning and wanted to review one more time before hand. Blaine stayed down in the family room going over some points from their shared economics class with Puck, so I had time to do a few things. First I took a nice shower and dressed in a pair of burgundy silk pajamas before gathering my notes from my fashion history class at the desk in our room. The last thing I did before settling in to study with some of the greatest songs that Broadway had produced in my lifetime, was to sit the pretty wooden box in the center of Blaine’s pillow with a hand written copy of Maya Angelou’s ‘Touched by an Angel’ that I’d painstakingly copied onto parchment paper as a calligraphy exercise months earlier and had liked it so much I’d kept it though I hadn’t been sure why at the time.

I was fairly deep in the world of sixties haute couture when Blaine came up for the night. I tried to feign a complete lack of interest or attention as he grabbed a quick shower and ready himself for bed without ever having looked at the bed itself. Thankfully, I was able to suppress my giggles until he went into the shower. when he came out and gave me a quick kiss before grabbing his iPad to do a little last minute run through of his notes before his exams the next day. Of course then I almost gave up the game again when he threw himself into the arm chair that faced his side of the bed and his eyes finally happened to light on the shiny, light wood box on his pillow. “Kurt? What did you do?”

I laughed a little. “We’ve always said that we we’re completely equal in this relationship. So I decided that we should both have engagement rings. I’m sorry if you feel like I glommed onto your idea…but I love you and I want the whole world to know that we belong to each other.”

He opened the box and gasped. “It’s gorgeous.” I stood and crossed to take the ring from the velvet nest. I gently put it on his hand and found it to be a perfect fit. He gave me a wicked smile. “So…five diamonds?”

I nodded, “yup, one for each of us and one for each of our THREE future children.” I stressed that there would only be three kids. He just laughed and pulled me down for a long deep kiss, which soon became us making slow passionate love. The next morning came early, but I was prepared.

“The exam period flew by and now here I am home for the holidays.” I finished the story for my still listening family. Dad laughed at my summation and I decided to play a hunch. “But Dad, you already knew that Blaine had proposed didn’t you?”

Burt Hummel was never a man to lie for no reason. He didn’t in that instance either. “I knew that he was planning on it. He asked me for permission to do it when you guys were home over Thanksgiving. That kid is a good one. He is respectful and comes from good people…well his brother is a little shiftless, but every family has one of those.” He joked. “I’m glad that you and Blaine found each other. I’m not going to lie and say I don’t wonder at how young you both are, he more than you but me and Elizabeth weren’t much older and neither was Carole and Finn’s father. If you want your marriage to work, age ain’t nothing but a number…the important thing is your willingness to do the work of being married. Never take each other for granted and if you go to bed angry, make sure that you don’t do so two nights in a row.”

Carole laughed merrily. “And never forget to have angry sex before you have your make up sex. It’s the best part of having a fight.”

“Mom!” Finn’s shout almost drowned out my own shout of her name. We were both blushing as red as tomatoes.

The rest of the afternoon was family time. But we were given the night with our significant others. Blaine told me all about his parent’s and Cooper’s reactions to our news which included an invitation for me to join them for lunch the next day and for Burt, Finn and I to join Blaine, Will and Coop at their club on Christmas Eve as we had the year before. So that was what we did. In the time in between, I was in contact with several people hoping to get a new designer in front of Mercedes or those of our friends who were having some fashion emergency. There was the home finishing emergency that Mercedes, Sam and Puck sent out an ‘all hands on deck’ call for the New Directions and we, of course, answered. After the lunch that was just us men on Christmas Eve, we had dinner with the Zizes and the Andersons at the Zizes home. It was really awesome. We all exchanged some simple, but meaningful gifts. I decided to do something fun so I got everyone a pair of pajamas or a really nice night gown. It was a nice personal gift and everybody loved theirs. I was quite happy. I got quite the haul of personal grooming and skin care tools. They all knew me so well…then there was the surprise of Finn and Lauren’s engagement. We had an amazing evening and really bonded as a future family.

On Christmas Day, it was just the four of us and we woke early to exchange our personal gifts. I’d gotten Dad a wicked cool, actual needle having record player. I knew that he still had his old vinyl records from his teens, and when I’d seen the record player in the store, I just knew that it would be exactly right for Dad. Carole got him a like super smart watch that tracked his heart rate and count his steps and everything…it was pretty cool. Finn got him a flashlight with, honestly like a million tools in the handle. Carole didn’t get stiffed either. I bit the proverbial bullet and got her a set of those slaps in the face of fashion that she loved called Vera Bradley bags. I also got her a cute kate spade NY crossbody purse just to make myself feel better. Finn got her a connectable crock pot three piece set that she seemed very happy about, though Dad had always told me that getting a woman a kitchen appliance for a gift was asking for a slow, painful death. But maybe Carole really did want the crock pots. Dad gave her a really pretty antique silver or white gold locket that had a picture of the two of them on one side and me and Finn together on the other. She squealed so loud my ears kind of hurt. But I loved how happy she was. Dinner was awesome. Carole had barred me from helping so there were a few new dishes and a few of my favorites that she remade with her own flair.

The next morning, Dad and I drove to Ann Arbor and had breakfast with my uncle and his children. His hag of an ex-wife had had them the day before so it was a little awkward until we undid all her stupidity. I gave each of them the autographed KAMA debut and Christmas CDs that I’d brought for them and they were all ridiculously happy. I told my uncle about the decision I’d reached when it came to NYADA and FIT and he just laughed. “Kurt, I knew this would happen…its why I offered to pay for FIT not the performing arts school. You’ve been interested in design and fashion since you were three years old. Yes, you love music. Yes, you love theatre…but you live and breathe fashion. I’m very happy that you’re going to do what you love. I want to honor my sister’s memory and the amazing little boy she gave the world by helping you do it.”

I was more than a little grateful and told him so. Dad just clapped him on shoulder. “I’ve missed the real you, Nicholas.”

“Glad to be back to myself, Burt.” He returned with a smile. His kids seemed happier with their father too. It was great to see too.

We made it back to Lima just in time to meet Carole and Finn at the house and head to the New Directions pot luck. I had a great time talking with Unique. She wasn’t just counting down the days until college, she was also counting down the days until her gender reassignment surgery too. They were each individually one of those life changing events that were both awesome and as frightening as anything any one could ever face. And she was undertaking them at the same damn time. I knew that as her spiritual, quasi-father, I would have to make more time to support her during these times of such monumental upheaval and change. I checked around and I saw that Santana, Brittany and Artie, as well as Tina and Mike have joined Blaine and I and Finn and Lauren in becoming engaged. I was beyond happy for everyone. I had to give it to the threesome for the rings…all three were perfectly matched for their people. I mean, materialistic Santana got one hell of a rock. Pretty, happy Brittany’s ring was pretty and happy and perfect for her. Artie’s ring was decidedly masculine but had the double milgrain ropes around it to symbolize his women. Okay, so I had a little more love for my and Blaine’s rings…but Santana and Brittany’s were completely perfect. Tina’s and Lauren’s were lovely too. We were all very blessed in our love lives.

It was a great holiday but on Saturday we had to return to the real world. Well, technically, we probably could have stayed in Lima for a few more days, since Blaine and I didn’t specifically have to be there when KAMA got back to work, but we’d been sleeping apart for two weeks. Being back in our own room, in our own bed was a wonderful feeling. We had a really nice weekend making love to exhaustion every night and spending our days wandering the island while all of our roommates worked. On Monday, Blaine and I did some deep cleaning and then we headed over to Bubbie Ruth’s and played with Nikki while Ruth and I went over the two looks for Mercedes and the guys for the People’s Choice and the Golden Globes red carpets. We called Harry Winston’s LA location and went over the jewels we’d be renting for the events including their delivery and pick up schedules. She would be taking the Graff jewels with her, under Rangeman guard. Those would be picked up the Monday before they left for California. Mr. Westwood was doing her makeup once again and Ms. Briggs had suggested a longtime friend of hers who owned her own salon. After checking through all the available social media and review sites to make sure the woman’s salon and techniques were up to par, Hudson had contacted O My Hair Studio and arranged a young lady named Catrina Moore-Williams to handle Mercedes’ hair for both events. Ms. Briggs also suggested a woman who owned a ‘men’s grooming lodge’ named Dani Balestrini to handle Sam and Puck’s hair too. Well, mainly Sam’s, Puck didn’t really have much in the way of stylable hair. We’d worked out hair styles for each outfit for each front member of the band. It was actually rather easy since it was only three people, each of whom we knew very, very well.

Tuesday, Blaine and I took the time to make sure that we had everything we needed for the beginnings of classes. It didn’t really take us much time. But it was fun to explore the city while we replaced worn out clothing and updated my accessories or whatever we happened to decide need to be done. When we got home, I made butternut squash risotto, broccoli and some roasted turkey breasts for dinner for the visiting NDs and Netta, Blaine, Artie, Tana, Brits and myself. thankfully I made a little extra since Jon and Jami both returned to empty apartments and came searching for company. Earlier that day, I was able to call and make an appointment with my advisor for the Thursday before classes started to make sure that I had taken every class I needed transfer to the conservatory program and graduate at the end of the semester. I told Jami of my decision. She had really been a great mentor to me, almost a big sister in a strange sort of way.

Like my uncle, and brother and father and stepmother…Jami was unsurprised. “Kurt, you are a great contra-tenor, your range is without compare. You have a blast whenever you perform…but your heart and soul are all about fashion. Even at NYADA, you are the go to for costuming advice for students and teachers alike. You have a talent on the stage, but it just doesn’t hold a candle to what you can do with s dress and a few accessories.”

“Oh hush,” I replied happily blushing as red as an apple.

Santana, of course, found my reaction hilarious and spent the rest of dinner teasing me about it. The rest of us delighted in talking about our plans for New Years and getting everything ready for the coming semester. It was a really nice end to the day. Well, it was after making love with my fiancé. The next morning was officially the end of 2014 and it was a very, very busy day. We woke to the same rather joyously crowded house the next morning and made a nice, light, healthy breakfast before the ladies and I all made our way to Faina Spa. Mercedes was a goddess. She’d arranged, probably through Hudson, for every one of us to have the ‘Spa Pampering’ package which lasted a total of three and a half hours with an additional thirty minutes dedicated to mani-pedis. We were all treated to the Body Polish which was a full body exfoliation of dead skin cells with lavender, sea salt, or vanilla sugar scrubs. The polish was then followed by a fifty-minute aromatherapy full body massage. A Relaxing Massage enhanced by benefits of aromatherapy oils. I absolutely loved the luxurious facial. It was touted as being a relaxing and rejuvenating face and neck massage followed by aromatherapy steam, extraction, and two hydrating masks. While we relaxed with the masks, they applied an herbal eye pack and neck ease pillow to soothe any strained muscles that managed to survive the massage. Then we had the hand and foot treatment where our hands and feet were first ‘soaked’ in lavender and peach essential oil infused paraffin then massaged with oils and wrapped in hot mittens and socks, which left all our hands and feet soft and supple. Once that was done every one could choose between the spa’s European and French gel manicures. The ladies were also able to select from the spas’ full array of waxing services. To top it off we were all treated with glasses of champagne and chocolate treats.

As soon as Santana finished giving Netta her warning…which I kind of agreed with so I didn’t try and stop it…I took Vince’s sister under my wing. After all, the sister of my brother’s brother from another mother was something like a cousin once removed or whatever. Still, I felt protective of her, especially since Lauren was pretty helpless in the whole spa environment. So I took both of them under my proverbial wings and helped them pick out the services that they needed based on their outfits and accessories. I checked with Mercedes, even offering to pay for the extra services but she just told me to make sure that Netta had all the services she’d need to feel confident and glamorous as the rest of the crew. There was a reason I loved my bestie, she had such an amazing heart and a kind and generous spirit. With that knowledge in hand, I convinced Netta to get the full legs, chin, eyebrow shaping and Brazilian wax treatments. Lauren had had her legs done at some point earlier over the break…but she needed her eyebrows reshaped and in texting her mother, we may have arranged for her to have a Brazilian done too. When it was done, Lauren cursed me up one side and down the other, in a voice that was totally an octave higher than her usual speaking voice. I never even thought that women could have that happen. It was completely hilarious…even if I was a little too busy evading her fists to laugh at the time.

We had a few, tiny, miniscule really, things to get to complete a few ‘looks’ for the evening. So we headed to Macys and when we got back to the brownstone there was a flurry of activity as everyone either did their hair and makeup or traded their services with someone else to get hair and makeup handled and got dressed up for a night on the town. For a night of dancing, I started my outfit selection with the shoes. I decided on a pair of, broken in to the point of bring ridiculously comfortable, though they still looked reasonably new, Harris, dark grey, burnished leather monk strap shoes with a completely unembellished and plain toe. The club had a ‘no jeans’ rule and while Lil Wayne or Drake…or even Puck and Sam…may have been able to flout that rule, I knew it would apply to all of the rest of us. It took me a moment to decide up a pair of Alexander McQueen frayed trim trousers that were skinny fit and just dressy enough to walk the line between casual and club appropriate. I dressed it up a bit with a blue, Gucci tie-neck silk shirt and topped that with a Balmain, charcoal gray, sleeveless wrap coat. Once I did my rigorous going to a club facial moisturizing regimen, created a definitive, signature, Kurt Hummel, night on the town coif and donned my extremely on trend outfit, I was ready to go and I looked traffic stoppingly good.

Then again, so did Blaine. As he looked me over, before heading into his closet and bringing me out a dark gray, leather banded Tsovet watch, I gave him a very strategic look…it was not assessing how hot my fiancé was, it was simply checking to make sure that his ensemble, of navy, Tom Ford slacks with knife edge creases, a sexy, ice blue, Tom Ford, military style, button down shirt, a pair of dark brown, ridiculously hotly, efficient looking, brown Tom Ford wing tipped brogues. His belt matched his shoes precisely, while I’d gone for a lighter gray Gucci belt to break up the monotony of the dark gray from waist to feet. He’d done that thing with his hair where the curls were slightly less contained, but not even half way free. He looked really, really hot. I started to congratulate him on resisting the temptation of strange socks, or suspenders or a bow tie, but instead I just told him that he was handsome and headed into my closet and picked him out a silver, stainless steel, Burberry watch. Money clips were organized, cell phones removed from chargers, and they along with preferred lip balms put into the appropriate pockets and we were ready to go.

The drive was filled with talking and laughter and a serious amount of taunting and teasing. I was quite proud of how Netta’s look had ultimately turned out. Her hair and makeup were really, done. She had done a great job on Lauren too. I took pictures of both of them and sent them to Finn and Vince since they couldn’t be there. Damn football and their New Year’s Day bowl games. It was easy to see why she felt beauty school would be a good fit for her. When Blaine and I stepped out of the huge limo, people lined up to entrance to the exclusive and expensive club thought that I was a model. I found myself quite flattered. Once we got in the doors, we were shown up to the VIP where Lil Wayne and Drake were already situated with their combined posses. They both seemed kind, and far less homophobic than I would have expected. Which was a good lesson in prejudice for me. Lil Wayne really liked the ladies of the crew, especially Tina, Tana and Brittany. But he was also very respectful of Mike and Artie.

Blaine and I were far more interested in dancing so we headed to the dance floor and stayed there. Mercedes and her guys joined us. The music was on point. I had some trouble understanding the lyrics to much of the hip-hop that was played, but the driving beats were strong enough that even a gay, white, boy from middle America could follow them. I learned about an old school genre of funk and rap called Go-Go that was so awesome, I wanted to live in the pocket of people like DJ Kool and Mambo Sauce and all the others they introduced me to that evening. They played a lot of Lil Wayne and Drake and KAMA and Two Chains and some older school Christina Aguilara…all together, Blaine and I danced until we just couldn’t anymore. The drinks were high, but we still kept hydrated and just enjoyed ourselves immensely. At midnight there was Dom Perignon and deep, new year welcoming kisses. When we finally made it home, we took the Advil and water even though we didn’t need it and made love until just before the sun crested the skyline.

After saying good bye to our friends on Friday morning, the rest of our break flew by. I had to take an extra class to finish NYADA with the Conservatory certification at the end of the spring semester. I spoke with my FIT advisor and found that if I took five classes every semester for two and a half years, I could graduate at the end of fall term twenty seventeen with all the degrees I was interested in. I was resolute to do so. Two thousand and fourteen had ended entirely different than it had begun…I wondered what two thousand and fifteen would have in store for all of us.

Azimio PoV

Looking back, I hadn’t made a lot of great decisions before my senior year of high school. I hadn’t used the intellect I’d been given…not really. I did just enough to get by. I wasn’t dumb, per se. Mainly I was just lazy and would have rather been playing video games than taking the time to study. By the time I hit senior year I’d spent so much time being a bullying asshole, I had to do some serious work to actually graduate on time. I’d taken all the easy courses freshman and sophomore year, so I had to take a lot of real, requirement classes both semesters my senior year. One of the requirements I had to fill was an arts class. Choosing to swallow my pride and audition for the New Directions was one of the best choices I’d ever made. Thanks to that decision I had made some really, really good friend, other than just Dave who was the only real, true friend I had before that. thanks to studying and being more motivated I graduated with a decent B average. He’d started the year just a point or so above a C…and that was only because of the weighting of classes that I’d fond easy even if other people didn’t, like AP French and AP Geography. Thanks to my choice to become a New Direction, I had my beautiful baby girl. Thanks to that decision, my Little Bird had the most boss ass godparents ever and I was really having a way better life experience than I ever would have had without their friendship.

I had to admit, I was proud of how I had turned my life around. I had a nice solid B plus GPS. I was loving my classes and I was happy as hell with my duel majors. I came home to my favorite girl every evening. Thanks to the awesomeness that was my cousin Rae, Robyn knew her colors and her numbers and could even identify some of her letters. I never would have believed that my favorite time of day would be reading my daughter her bed time story. Quite often, I read to her from La Belle et Le Bete, or another French story. Other times I’d read her Spanish children’s books. Of course, I couldn’t not read her things like Dr. Seuss and Curious George. The Spanish books helped me practice for my Spanish classes. I found that Spanish was fairly easy for me. Almost as easy as C++ and binary code.

I’d been a starting lineman on the team that fall. We had a new coach that year, Coach Pearl. He was as bad as Coach Beiste ever hopped or dreamed to be when it came to conditioning and nutrition. It had done wonders for my physique though. We weren’t the best team in the conference, but we weren’t the worst. I played almost every game. It was cool. With my grades going so strong, Coach Pearl said that I was eligible for two extra scholarships for my junior year. That was going to really help me out with my goal of not graduating with an ass load of debt. I was trying to figure out how I could make better money during the summers. But I could only work from halfway through May to the last week of August. That wasn’t long enough to make a lot of money, and Little Bird’s shit was getting more and more expensive.

She was growing really quickly. The arches in Robyn’s feet weren’t developing correctly, so she had to get special arch supporting Stride Rite shoes. Stride Rite baby shoes were expensive as hell on their own. I don’t know what I would have done if Mom hadn’t mentioned it to Sister Danica at church one Sunday. Next thing I knew, my baby girl had three pairs of hundred dollar shoes that I didn’t buy. I’d gotten her a pair of simple white tennis shoes that had the orthopedic insert she needed. But apparently, little girls can’t wear plain white kicks with everything. Sister Jones got her a pair of black Mary Janes. Mercedes got her a pair of the cutest little denim looking T-Straps with pink suede flowers and a pair of baby Uggs. All three pairs had the inserts she needed. I felt blessed every day for the people who were in my life.

Everything was going so well that I was starting to feel a little bad because it seemed like in making me happy, life was kind of messing with some other people. Like Dave. I was getting my best friend back. Dave was transferring to Ohio University for the spring semester and there on. He would then play football for the Bobcats for his next two years. But while I was happy as hell about his coming back to Ohio, I knew that he had mixed feelings and his transfer wasn’t exactly happening under the best of circumstances. The reason he was transferring was that he’d pretty much been iced out of Midwestern State when he’d stopped the quarterback of his team from basically raping a girl who had gotten drunk as fuck at a team party. The dude hadn’t appreciated Dave’s objections to his behavior…which hell yeah Dave objected, his dad had read him the riot act over the summer about how seriously important consent really was. When a quarterback hates you, you can pretty much wrap that shit up. Still things weren’t all bad. Dave’s new team was NCAA division one, so he was stepping up the division ranking. I was just happy that he would be two hours away rather than seventeen.

He and I were talking when he got home for Christmas. “Man, I’m not sad to be out of there. Texas is hot all the damn time. I mean, you know the shit that we have to do at football practice…now try to imagine doing all of that stuff in like a hundred degrees in the damn shade.”

“That’s how you finally dropped that mini-keg you used to have.” I teased.

He gave me the side eye hard. “I know you aren’t talking. You lost a whole person since graduation.”

“Only if that person was an eight year old kid.” I said defensively. “Naw, man…still you did the right thing. If those jackasses can’t see that then fuck ‘em. He don’t even know but you probably saved his life. If he’d have slept with that chick and she woke up and screamed rape...it was Texas, you know her daddy probably owns a shot gun or twenty.”

“Nope. I carried her ass back to her dorm. Her roommate said that her dad’s the pastor at one of the biggest churches in the state. No way in hell would he have let that shit lie…and you know that he’d have set the hounds of hell after old boy.” Dave said with a grin. “Actually, I think that happened anyway. Tatiana, the roommate, told the girl’s dad what had almost happened and how I had helped her and basically got pushed out of the school for it. Well her dad is probably the only reason I didn’t get blackballed from football. The head coach at Midwestern told me that I was never going to play ball again.”

“Fuck that noise. You live to play ball.” I said angrily. I played ball because it was my come up. I never wanted to be a pro. Dave dreamed of playing pro-ball. He had all our lives.

He just shrugged. “Dude, relax. It obviously didn’t work. Granted, it helps that Pastor guy’s best friend is the son of the coach at OU. But I’m in a better place than I was in Texas, I get Ohio weather. And I can see Little Bird more often.”

We were having our usual Saturday park time where Little Bird got to play with her cousins on her mom’s side and M’onique, Dave and I corralled all the little buggers and exhausted them before they went home with their grandmother when me and Dave got a text from Puckerman. “New Years in New York…that would be some serious shit.”

“Hell yeah.” Dave said with a grin I knew meant he was hoping he could find a hook up. As far as I knew he was still a gay virgin…but he was like the freaking gay make out king.

Before I could shoot back to accept, I got one from Mercedes telling me that even if I didn’t come, Robyn was coming with her mom and the twins because she wanted to see her. She also sent me a link to the dress code for the club and a five hundred buck Macy’s e-gift card with a note in the e-mail saying that me and Dave were not allowed to embarrass her. I showed it to Dave and he had gotten the same things minus the one about Little Bird. We started to think we were screwed though. But M’onique heard us freaking out and Monday she took us to Macys and got us straight. We were there forever, but I left there with a pair of charcoal Dockers, a blazer the same color, an ocean blue v-neck pullover and a pair of Guess hi-top sneakers that didn’t look like they were sneakers. She looked me had me try on about fifteen different looks then she up and down five times in the outfit before she let me get it. Dave, his lucky ass was done after trying on two different suits. He ended up with a blue Sean John classic fit suit, a John Ashford men's long-sleeve herringbone shirt, and a pair of Florsheim jet chukka boots.

M’onique even made sure that we knew what we should take with us as far as socks and pocket squares and everything. She literally tutored us on proper club etiquette…which was good because my parents hadn’t been inside a club since the late eighties-early nineties. I explained that there was no way we’d be trying to work a fake ID in New York. Mercedes would kill us both if we got caught and thrown out. Or worse, she’d have Lauren do it. The rest of the holiday was cool. Mom, Dad, Little Bird and I went down to Atlanta to have Christmas with the family. Rae and Robyn were really happy to see each other again after the two weeks we’d been in Lima. The family was even more happy to see us. It was cool seeing the family and all the gift cards they gave me and the cool toys they gave Little Bird were awesome.

We got back to Lima just in time to go to the New Direction family pot luck. Mom bought a couple of pies, because we had no food at all at home. So, we were actually really, really happy to have the dinner to go to. Granted, the second I walked in, my daughter was claimed by her godparents and her god-grandparents and I barely saw her for a while. It was cool though. I got to catch up with the guys and hear all the gossip and news from the crew that I didn’t already know. Like I learned that half of the crew had gotten engaged over the holidays, that was cool for them. I looked over at Dave and Kevin and groaned. “These mofos are all engaged and I cannot get a damn date.”

Dave chuckled. “Shit son, you try being gay in TEXAS. I’ve had a few drunken make out sessions with guys who were even more closeted than me, but dates, what are those?” he threw out to question as it was done in a Vine I’d sent him. Whenever we said those three words we did it in that same voice.

Kevin smiled. “Well, I’ve gotta admit I don’t have any problem getting dates. Tall girls ask me out all the time. If I liked tall girls I’d be in love by now.”

We laughed at his ire. “You know you’re wrong for that shit, Kevin.” I threw back.

The rest of the dinner was cool. There was singing and laughing and dancing and watching all the tiny little kids playing and laughing. It was great. The next few days were pretty full of getting everything together for the trip to New York. I decided to fork over the money to check Robyn’s car seat to make sure I’d have it when I needed it. The trip itself was cool. All of us NDs who weren’t already on the KAMA payroll were on the same flight, so when Robyn got a little cranky there were plenty of people to keep her entertained. Kurt had made us all dinner at their house. We were well fed and clean. I had washed Robyn and put her in her pjs and we were chilling around the place when Puck, Sam and Jones came home from their family thing. Mercedes grabbed my sleepy little girl from my lap and she had her guys dragged me and Dave into their study.

“You guys are good for Wednesday night, right?” Sam asked us as he snuck a kiss to Robyn’s curls. She was out like a light nestled against Jones’ boobs. Great napping spot if you could get it.

“Yeah, Evans, we’re golden. Little Bird’s grandmother helped us out.” Dave explained.

“Good, that’s good.” Jones said pressing her own kisses to the sleeping baby.

Puck chuckled. “Look, we’ve gotta tell you two something that you cannot…I mean not even a hint at it...tell anyone outside the crew.” As soon as we swore to keep whatever it was to ourselves, they told us about the tour they were going to be undertaking the following summer. “So, we’re gonna need roadies, right? The pay is good but it isn’t like super great, a little over thirteen thousand for the summer. But you don’t have to spend any of it on lodging, and probably not a whole lot on food either. You two want in?”

“Shit yeah I want in.” Dave said immediately. “The best summer job I ever found in Lima, I made less than five grand for the whole summer and the government ate up like a full third of that.”

“You do know you should get most of that back when you file your tax return?” I pointed out.

Dave shrugged. “I didn’t bother. I read somewhere that if you’re not making much you don’t really need to file.”

“It’s still a good idea.” Jones pointed out.

There was some serious clowning for a few minutes at Dave letting that hard-earned money slip through his fingers. Then they told us what we needed to do to make that summer job shit happen, which was basically create a resume talking about how much we could lift and our other relevant skills and getting those to Lauren’s dad before the end of March. I sighed. “I can’t be away from home that long. Mom and Dad have to work.”

Jones looked thoughtful. “Have you thought about putting her into the day care at the church? Mother Richardson doesn’t charge but three hundred a week per kid. If you pay that from your pay check, you’d still make about seven hundred and fifty bucks…that would sure as hell still be more than you can make stocking shit at Sprawl-Mart.”

“Let me talk it over with my parents, if they are good with it…then I’m in for sure.” I finally said. It was a lot more than I could make anywhere in Lima and I’d get to do something majorly fun.

New Year’s Eve was so freaking awesome it wasn’t even funny. I got to meet Drake and Lil Wayne. They were cool people and they both took selfies with a lot of us. It was all kinds of awesome. There were some hot honeys who were seriously stupid enough to think I was a real pro ball player so I danced and had fun all night. Dave and I didn’t have anything to drink other than some seriously overpriced Pepsis until the club passed out free Dom at midnight. I got a serious New Year’s kiss from a sexy shorty with an ass that was a thing of beauty. Twenty-fourteen was a hell of a great year. Though the previous year was still my current favorite, after all it gave me my Little Bird. I was looking forward to seeing what twenty-fifteen would bring to my life. I hoped it was good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take a second and let me know what you think of this chapter.   
> If you're in America and over 18, take a moment on November the 8th & go VOTE.


	14. Deck the Halls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Unique Christmas & A peek at a few others

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****
> 
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories
> 
> Special thanks to Isis Aurora Tomoe who is my current Beta rock star

Unique PoV

There are always people who swear that since I’m not an ‘over twenty-one years old’ adult, I shouldn’t be allowed to go through my gender reassignment surgery. That since I am young, I couldn’t possibly know what my true gender identity was. But what those people just don’t understand is that I’ve always known that there was something wrong with me. One of my earliest memories was of looking at myself in the mirror, dressed in one of my mother’s preferred little ‘Boyz to Men’ outfits and knowing that I didn’t look like what I saw as me in my head. When my mother took me shopping, I gravitated to a section she told me I couldn’t shop in. All the pretty clothes I saw and knew were meant for me, she said were for girls and I was a boy. I remember that the first time I told her no I wasn’t she slapped me. ‘I was her son. If God had meant for me to be a girl I’d have been one’, she told me. That was the only time I was punished for saying I wanted to be a girl. But I always knew that it was true. Mom just decided that I really meant I was gay. Gay she could handle. Gay she understood. 

I was gay too. I loved boys. Seriously…one of the weirdest things in my head was that I loved the thought of being a girl and licking and sucking and fucking penises…but the thought of having one of my own was completely repugnant to me. By the time I was seven…my family knew I was different. A lot of them had even accepted what Mom couldn’t. My Aunt Wynn had a long discussion with Mom about getting me into a group therapy program for kids with gender identity disorder since that would make it easier for me to transition later. There was one in Columbus that Aunt Wynn eventually started taking me to when I moved in with her. That wasn’t to say that my mother was still unaccepting of me…when I hit thirteen, the fact that I hated the way my body was developing and felt completely gross all of the time had really forced her to educate herself. So much so that by the time I was a freshman in high school, I’d started seeing a trans-friendly general practitioner and endocrinologist.

But then Rachel ‘that muthafucking bitch there’ Berry happened. I wasn’t full time. I had barely begun the process of transitioning…but I was nowhere near ready for anyone outside my family to know about it. I was pretty out about being gay at school. I’d have needed a complete personality overhaul to even come close to being able to hide that facet of myself. I was kind of effeminate. Woo Lordy, every time I even think that big ass understatement, I cannot help but laugh my fabulous ass off. Any-who, the truth of the matter was that I wasn’t ready for the world to know that I was born all wonky, and my mother sure as hell wasn’t ready. She was still trying to convince me to go for a ‘better’ name than Unique for my post transition, female name. I still wasn’t exactly sure how Berry found out. 

Kurt was pretty sure that given my voice, Berry must have seen me somewhere, thought I was Mercedes and started stalking me. But there weren’t many places that I was comfortable dressing as my real self at that time. I sure as hell didn’t do it at Carmel. Still, considering that ‘dat bitch crazy’ I decided not to even try and figure out her mind. I don’t do scary places for love nor money and you just know her mind is scarier than Camp Crystal Lake on a Friday the Thirteenth in October. I may have tried to stick it out. I was pretty used to being bullied. But then people started talking about firing my mom from her school board job for some violation of the morality clause in her contract. I was not having that. Especially since their insurance didn’t cover my treatments and surgeries anyway…and Uncle Timothy’s insurance would if I was his dependent. Mom had been fighting sending me to live with them and giving them what basically amounted to custody of me just to save money on my treatments and surgery. But with all that was going on with me at school and at her job, finding out that the insurance company would have to cover me even though the GID diagnosis wasn’t new, thank God for Obamacare, and I’d have the coverage I needed until I was twenty-six years old. 

So Mom and I moved me in with Aunt Wynn and Uncle Timothy after Vocal Adrenaline won their sectionals with me having a small solo. When I completed the transfer paperwork at what would be my new school, I asked to meet with Shelby Cochran to audition for the New Directions. It wasn’t until I saw her that I remembered the rumors that she was Rachel Berry’s birth mother. Still Aunt Wynn encouraged me to give Ms. Cochran the same chance I would want if I had a douche bag relative. I did and I was not disappointed. I even gave her an out letting her know that her daughter was the largest part of the reason for my transfer. She just pointed out that while she biologically had a daughter in Carmel High; legally, and for the most part, emotionally her only child was in a Montessori preschool. She invited me to see the New Directions in action the next day at their sectionals and said that if I was more comfortable being the real me, she hoped to see Unique there.

Of course, hearing that, Aunt Wynn and Uncle Timothy became her besties. She was kind of awesome for that. They encouraged me to go to the sectionals as myself, so I did. I will never regret that decision. Since I met the New Directions, I found a level of acceptance that I never would have thought possible in a town like Lima…definitely more than I’d ever experienced in Akron. Now, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows at McKinley. There were plenty of people to tell me how wrong I was for being different. But the New Directions always had my back. A few times it was Momma-Cedes that came to my defense. Sometimes it was Kurt…those were the best of times…because if Puck, Sam, Lauren or Santana had to do it, I worried for the bullies' physical safety. Like for real though…one time Tana went into her hair and came out with a razor…that was for serious. I loved her a little bit for that. Then there was the time that Quinn was the only one around when shit went down. I resigned myself to being on my own. I should have known better. I’d been surrounded by three chicks who thought I was an abomination, I was trying to keep myself from snatching a bitch bald when a voice spoke words of truth. “Gail, you’re just angry because Unique was born a boy and she still looks better in mini-skirts than you do. I would give you the name of my waxing lady, but I’d hate for her to have to cancel my appointment in a few weeks because she was still working on you, Sasquatch. Maybe you should try electrolysis.” 

That sent the broads scattering hither and yon like rats deserting a sinking ship. “Thank you.” I said simply. 

“You are a New Direction…and you’re my soul-sister’s protégé…of course I had your back. Besides, I’m the only one in this school allowed to make people feel bad about themselves.” She gave me a smile then said, “Okay, maybe I don’t do that anymore, and Santana’s better at it than me, though I will deny that I said that until the day I die…so tell no one.” 

We shared a laugh and I didn’t have to deal with those basic bitches again until the following school year. By then I’d become friends with Jake and Tessa, then Marley and eventually Ryder. Probably, I was closer to Jake and Marley at first than I was Tessa, even though she and I were in the same grade. I just bonded with Jake because he got the way I thought better than anyone else. And Marley was just waiting on her body to betray her and I’d always felt that way so I got her better than most. Since I was rarely, if ever, alone…and Jake got hella pissed. Tessa, along with RJC froze people out of the social strata for trying to bully me and then when some jocks cornered me in the men’s room…which Figgins made me use because ‘my birth gender was that of male, therefore I had to utilize the bathroom that corresponded to that gender. No matter how I felt about the situation. Yeah, when I told the New Directions, Jake and Ry got mad as hell. Ms. Cochran didn’t let them leave the room to go and handle the assholes like they wanted to, but the next day, those same three assholes came to school looking beat for sure. I was seriously shocked when I overheard Ms. Shelby Cochran asking Jake, Ryder and Casey if they had found Lauren’s super-secret beat down spot alright. My peeps were hot like fire and I loved all their skinny selves. 

I had a far better high school experience than I expected to have. By the summer before my senior year, I had been on hormones for a year and a half. Since my androgen levels were somewhat lower than they should have been for my age when I started the female hormone cocktail of androgen blockers and estrogen, the changes were more pronounced than they could have been. It was also determined that it was a good thing that I’d ‘stockpiled’ some of my swimmers before I initiated the hormone program because soon after I did begin taking them, I stopped getting erections. Jake told me he felt bad for me…but I was happy as hell. I hated those damn things. To me they were just another example of my body’s betrayal. Within a couple of weeks, I had nice soft skin. Granted I was a big devotee of the use of cocoa and shea butter and Lubriderm in any form so that probably helped too. Between the hormones and the fact that my friends all loved doing gym type things, my fat moved from love handles down to my ass and hips and up to my chest. I had been warned that it was unlikely that I’d develop more than a B-Cup chest size and it would probably take up to two years to reach that. Then again, I started as an A-Cup so there was that. I hit a B cup after about three months and then rolled up to a C a couple of months later. 

I was so very, very happy to hit that C cup bra…I almost lost my mind. It was ridiculous how many people I made touch my boobs. I was so happy to have them. I groomed as a woman. I dressed as a woman. I lived almost all the time as Unique and sometimes, I could, happily, almost forget that I had ever been Wade. But not all the changes that came about that summer were great. Over the course of the summer, we had a ridiculous encounter with two assholes who embraced every possible kind of bigotry. Jake and Marley broke up. I let Marley convince me that she had not had any part of why they broke up and so I decided that Jake had broken up with her because she wouldn’t have sex with him…which in my defense is a HUGE theme in young women’s literature, television shows and literature. Then I found out that Marley had been wrong. Jake broke up with her because she felt less than nothing for him while he was falling hard for her. And she couldn’t even claim she did once I heard her reaction to Jake saying maybe they should take a break and they date other people. The fact that she honestly and truthfully didn’t care if he dated anyone else…yeah…I’d have broken up with her too. So I let my friendship with Marley kind of drift and I rebuilt the one I shared with Jake…which, by the end of the summer built a lot of other friendships even tighter, Tessa, Joe, RJC were all very, very good friends. Almost as good as me and Jake. But nothing topped the relationship I’d built with Ryder Lynn.

Ryder was a hell of a surprise. I never expected someone like him to want someone like me. But he did. We’d actually started off as just friends. Other than Jake, who helped him learn what was stopping him from being able to read and learn, I was the first person he told about his dyslexia. He was the first person outside the immediate crew to stop referring to me as a guy. I kind of cyber stalked him a little bit at one point because…well it seemed like a good idea at the time. But I did stop short of doing something stupid and humiliating for both of us. I was able to be there for him when he told us about having been molested. I talked him into telling his parents and getting the help he really needed. We grew closer and closer. I learned how much I wanted him when he gave me a hug and my nipples got so hard they could be seen even with my bra, dress and cardigan. I had to admit that that was my very first reaction like that to a real person. It threw me. So much so that I tried to kind of distance myself from him for a minute. But when I did, it felt like I’d cut out my own heart with a rusty fucking spoon. 

So what was a girl who needed advice on matters to do? I called Momma-Cedes and cried on her shoulder. I was shocked to find out that that same feeling of wonderful, visceral, scary want and desire was how she’d known that Sam and Puck were the ones for her. I decided then and there that I owed it to myself to talk things through with Ryder. That was a hard conversation to have. Though it was emboldening to find out that he was falling for me, just like I was falling for him. He just had a hang up with me still technically being a boy. I didn’t get angry or offended by that one…I was having a problem with that fact too. So we decided that we’d take the knowledge of our deepening feelings and experience it as it happened but concentrate on our friendship. Any relationship that was meant to be would happen when it happened. It was a weirdly relieving solution. We hung out. We had fun. We talked and we learned each other’s faults and foibles. Since we knew sex wasn’t on the table between us at that point…we even made out a few times without things getting weird or awkward or anything. 

I started my senior year in the best psychological shape of my life. I was happy with myself when I looked in the mirror. I was happy with myself when I looked at my peer group and friends. I was happy with myself when I looked at my report card. I was pretty ridiculously happy with my SAT score. I had somehow managed to pull a twenty-two fifty-five on the SAT and a thirty-four on the ACT. Ms. Pillsbury pretty much had all of the college bound seniors take both admission tests, just in case. For people like Tessa that turned out to be a great thing. She’s aced the ACT with the perfect thirty-six. But she’d not freaked out and almost hyperventilated during that one. Her SAT scores the first go round had been seven ninety-six on the verbal, a perfect eight hundred on the written and five eighty on the math. When she retook it she went up two points on the verbal, down three on the written and came up a hundred and twenty two points on the math. That gave her a final reported total of twenty-two ninety-eight. The relief she experienced could not be quantified. Joe took each test just once and he prepped without doing the class, unlike me and Tessa. He came in just under me on the ACT with a thirty-three and blew us both out the water on the SAT with a twenty-three oh five. Yeah, he crushed it. 

Joe and I were cool, but his sister worked my last natural nerve. That was alright…every family has one person who did so much dirt that when they finally find Jesus, they go crazy overboard. Probably because they knew that it was only the angels that made sure their asses made it through their own stupidity. Still when Joe and Tessa weren’t out with Jake and Chase or hanging out by their lonesome, they were usually hanging out with me and Ryder. It was strange sometimes how I hadn’t realized how much it had taken out of me trying to be Wade when I really was Unique. Right before Thanksgiving break, I got called in for a doctor appointment with my GID team, all of them my doctor-doctor, my psychiatrist and my endocrinologist. Mom, Aunt Wynn, Uncle Timothy and I met in Columbus and spent the night since the team said it would be a full day of meetings. 

The meetings were held in Dr. NaToya Blackburn-Knudsen’s office. She was my primary care doctor. She, Dr. Elena Meng, my endocrinologist, Dr. Emile Clark, my psychologist came in to the smallish conference room about fifteen minutes after we were seated. They were joined by two more doctors, an Ob-Gyn, urologist and a plastic surgeon who introduced themselves as Dr. Steven Grogg, Dr. Felix Christofiles and Dr. Terry Robinson respectively. Dr. Blackburn-Knudsen smiled brightly. “Unique,” I loved the fact that she had never called me Wade after the first appointment. “We called you in today, because you’ve reached the point in your transition where we can move forward with your surgery. You’ve completed the mental and hormonal therapy requirements. You’ve been living full time as a female for twelve consecutive months. You’ve had enough positive and negative real life experiences that we feel confident saying that you understand the pitfalls and joys of being female. To be honest, you’ve done better dressing and handling beauty as a woman than I do and I was born one.” She teased. “Considering that you turn eighteen in January, we believe that it is time to start the next step…the last one before we can schedule your surgery.”

I sat there speechless for a long moment. My mom reached over and grabbed my hand but it was Uncle Timothy who spoke up next. “What’s the next step?” 

That snapped me out of my stupor. “Oh…yes…what’s next?” 

“You will need to have electrolysis of your entire genital area, removing all the hair well before surgery.” Dr. Grogg explained. “Having hair regrow could interfere with the healing process.”

I just shrugged. “I don’t really know any of my friends my age or older, anyway, who still have hair…well except Lauren…she absolutely hates getting waxed.” I blurted out honestly. 

The doctors all laughed. “Well, then it shouldn’t be a problem for you.” Dr. Robinson added with a grin. 

Dr. Blackburn-Knudsen smiled at me. “While you are undergoing the electrolysis treatment, you’ll need to come in after you turn eighteen to sign the paperwork so we can get everything settled with your insurance company.” 

“While you are here for that, we’d probably go ahead and schedule your actual surgery. It’s usually easier to get the approvals if we can present them with a date and time.” Dr. Robinson chuckled. 

Wow. “Wow.” My mother said with a small smile. “It could be that soon? What about school? She’s almost done with her senior year…then there is college?”

Dr. Christofiles spoke for the first time since he’d been introduced. “That is why we’d ideally like to do the surgery the Monday after your graduation, Unique. Given the length of your penis, we are able to use the penile inversion technique. Traditionally that method has a significantly shorter recovery. The surgery can take up to seven hours and afterwards you would be in the hospital for ten nights. Though if we can get Aetna to let us keep you for twelve to fourteen, ideally, we’d prefer to do so. That will allow for better pain management.” 

“I’m sorry but better pain management?” Aunt Wynn asked. 

It was Dr. Clark who answered. “While Unique is in the hospital, they can help her manage her pain with options other than intravenous painkillers. The total reassignment surgery in Unique’s case will include an orchiectomy, the vaginoplasty, as well as some fat transfer to sculpt her waistline and augment her backside. She won’t need implants unless she decides she wants them after she is fully recovered…maybe even a year or so down the line. But still it will be quite a toll on your body. We’d actually give you a prescription of Celebrex to take starting on Saturday before you come to the hospital that Sunday evening. We’d manage your pain with morphine for only the first twenty-four to forty-eight hours, then epidurals for the next one to two days and then move you to oral pain relief. Given your age, we want to try and avoid some of the things that can lead to opioid addiction.”

“Yeah, I so want to avoid that. This Diva in training is not trying to end up in nobody’s rehab…or worse crack house.” I told them with brutal honesty. “No…this Diva is meant for the highest heights, just like my mentor and spirit guide the Fabulous Diva Miz Mercedes Jones.” 

Dr. Grogg cut a weird look at Dr. Clark. “She’s fine. She really does know all three members of KAMA, several of their band members, their stylist and most of their families. Unique is a member of the New Directions…the show choir they sang in before they were discovered.” Dr. Clark assured the obstetrician who nodded in relief. 

Aunt Wynn smirked a little. “Okay, so eleven days to two weeks in the hospital then how long at home?” 

Dr. Robinson took that question. “Two to three weeks at home before she can really start getting a little more active. Not to say that she won’t be getting up and a round every day during both her hospital and at home recovery, but after about six weeks, she’ll be able to go to the bathroom again.”

“So what, I can’t use the bathroom for six weeks?” I squawked. 

The adults in the room all laughed and then the doctors spent the next fifteen minutes summarizing the post op recovery timetable. It was kind of scary, but I looked forward to it. After the appointment, we had dinner and Mom came back to Lima with us to celebrate the holiday. Which was really awesome. I still had weekly therapy meetings, group therapy sessions, started bi-weekly electrolysis treatments and we learned more and more about what the surgery and recover would be like. It was going to be hard…according to one blog I read it hurt like childbirth but constantly and for the first like week or two. Then there would be the vaginal dilations that I’d have to do like three times every day to keep me from healing wrong. But the more I read, the happier I was that my penis, which I’d always hated, was the size it was because I was more than positive that the other method sounded so very, very, very, very much worse. Still, it was all going to be worth it. 

Of course I shared all of it with Tessa and Jake and Joe and just the fam. The very next day, Mary Hart came over and she and Aunt Wynn work things out so that during my at home recovery period, Mary will come over and help out during the day so neither Aunt Wynn nor Uncle Timothy or Mom will have to miss a metric fuckload of work. I loved that woman in that moment. When I expressed my gratitude…she literally laughed in my face. “Darling, you’re Joe’s friend and you’re a New Direction…that means we’re family.” 

While she was there, I got her to read over my essays for me, one last time before I officially hit send. Tessa had applied to like all the schools, I’d literally googled for ‘trans-friendliest colleges in the US’. There were ten schools that had either a four and a half or five-star rating from the LGBTQ college resource ‘Campus Pride’. I applied to those ten schools and prayed that I’d like the one I got into. But with schools like Ithaca College, NYU and UCLA on that list, I was fairly sure that I would probably like it. I kind of did the stupid thing and applied to Princeton since it was on the list. But that one was actually on the bottom of my list. Ivy League scared me. I was a black, gay male turned transgender woman…no, Ivy League scared the shit out of me. This diva wasn’t getting lynched by some rich, entitled white guy with an inferiority complex who took offense to my existence. I wasn’t sure if that shit still happened, but like drinking from an open container at a Q party…I wasn’t willing to take that risk.

Since Mom had come to Lima for Thanksgiving, we spent Christmas at home in Akron. I missed my peeps, but it was cool sleeping in my old bedroom. Granted I spent a lot of time cleaning it out for the post-Christmas sales redecorating that was my mom’s Christmas gift to me. Wade’s room was going to become Unique’s room. My room at Aunt Wynn and Uncle Timothy’s house had been decorated with Unique in the forefront of everyone’s mind. The furniture remained the same, but we painted and changed all the pictures and posters and the bedding and just made it me. The food was amazing as always. The company was perfect. But eventually we had to go home. Since Jake and Tessa and their fam was in New York and Ryder was still visiting his family in Iowa, Joe, RJC and I hung out together to usher in the New Year. We babysat for all Joe’s little brothers and sisters. It was cool. The Hart family was good people…other than that one broad. Still, no matter that the end was a little bit boring, I’d had a freaking fantabulous twenty-fourteen and I couldn’t wait for two-thousand and fifteen because it was going to be the year of UNIQUE.

 

Many PoV

Rick Nelson knew that he wasn’t the smartest guy. Being smart had never been that important to him. It didn’t bother him at all that the last book he’d successfully read cover to cover was one of R.L. Stine’s Goosebump books in seventh grade. When Puckerman punked him out for reading a baby book, he’d put those down and not picked up anything else rather than admit that he couldn’t read anything harder and it had taken him almost a month to read that ‘baby book’. He had never really liked books anyway. His father had put him on ice skates at three and Hank Nelson was determined that his boy was going to be greater than Gretzky. That had been Hank’s dream. He’d even spent a year playing in the NHL before he’d gotten taken out by a career ending knee injury. He was determined that any son of his would live the dream. When Wayne, who’d been born the year after Rick got his first pair of skates, got on the ice for the first time when he was three and Rick was seven, Hank encouraged a fierce rivalry on the ice and a tight bond of brotherhood off it. He encouraged both his sons to live and die by aggression and the sport. 

He did such a great job convincing his sons that life began and ended with hockey, that both Rick and Wayne decided early that learning or having good grades were unimportant in their world view. Their mother, Avelyn and all of their grandparents tried to tell them how having good grades would improve their likely hood of going to a good college with a great hockey program…thus bettering their chances of being drafted to the NHL…but they were sure that all they needed was to be better than ‘the Great One’ or ‘Super Mario’ or ‘Mr. Hockey’. Rick never doubted that he was just that good. He just knew that he would go to college on a hockey scholarship, get drafted by the NHL and ‘live the dream’. He’d been well on his way; captain of the hockey team both his junior and senior years, scouted by the best hockey schools. Guys had come all the way from Boston to see how he handled the puck. Rick had ended up with his choice of schools. 

Ultimately, he had decided to go the same college as his dad and the greats; Keith Magnuson, Cliff Koroll and Glenn Anderson. Once he made his decision and completed the acceptance paperwork, Rick had thought he was home free. So much so that he’d stopped paying the nerds who did all his homework. Granted, he only paid them but making sure they weren’t slushied, swirlied or otherwise bullied…too badly, but he pulled his protections from all of them. He’d been so positive that nothing could stop him, he’d even graciously given Figgin’s but-her face secretary back the blackmail pictures he’d taken of her engaging in some immoral behavior with the school janitor that he’d used to get her to change his grades when even the nerds couldn’t help. After all, they couldn’t actually take the tests and exams for him. He had managed to graduate, but as far as he was concerned that was a sure thing. Hell, even Puckerman had managed to get his diploma with their class. And that fool didn’t even bother to use his good looks to bang teachers for good grades and he’d stopped getting chicks to do his homework for him during their freshman year. Yet, despite the fact that as far as Rick believed, Puckerman was a real idiot because he took a full course load of hard ass classes the badass playboy had graduated and gotten into a major school. Still, even if Zizes had the fullest of full rides to OSU for wrestling and Hudson had that football scholarship and Puck, Evans, and Jones were going to some prissy school in New York, nothing could convince Richard Henry Nelson that he wasn’t destined to be even more successful than any of them. 

At least, he’d been positive of that until that July afternoon, the summer after graduation when he’d come home to a letter from the University of Denver. When he opened it, he had done so believing that it was simply the sports camps summer schedule. Coach Montgomery, the hockey program’s head coach, had told Rick and his family that he usually ran a camp for freshmen to work on their conditioning and stamina. When it hadn’t been from the coach or the sports department at all, he took it to his younger sister for translation from nerd to something he could understand. Drusilla had been born when Rick was nine and he’d never particularly cared for her. She was smart and could read almost before she got her first pair of skates. He’d given up on her completely when she decided that she didn’t like any of the sports their father tried to get her into. “Hey Dork-silla,” he chuckled at his ‘witty’ remix of her name. “What does all this mean?”

She quickly read it through once, then again before dissolving into slightly mean laughter. When she could breathe again, Drusilla looked up at her brother, “It means that I can have faith in the state of the American collegiate education system again.” Her ensuing laughter was filled with vengeful delight.

Rick made a threatening move towards her before he caught himself. The one time he’d hit his sister their father had beaten Rick’s ass so bad he couldn’t sit for a week. Hank Nelson may have been an asshole and a prick and a bully…but he didn’t believe that any male should touch a woman in anger or to hurt her. It was probably the only measure of decent humanity he’d tried to instill in his sons. That was the real reason Rick had never admitted who had knocked out his teeth. If his father knew that he’d been bullying and harassing a girl…the pain in his mouth would have been the least of his worries. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It means, PuckHead, that they are revoking your admission to the University of Denver because your last semester GPA was a 1.25. Wow…did you do anything after Christmas break? Between that and your final behavioral report…no third strike. You’re just out.” she shook her head and handed him back the letter. “Look, I’m gonna call Amy and see if I can sleep over there tonight. I don’t want to be home when you give that to Daddy. Want me to text Wayne and let him know that coming home is a bad idea too?”

All Rick could do was nod then he headed back to his room to try and figure out if there was some way he could avoid telling his parents. Unfortunately by the time they got home from work, the house was empty and Rick had not come up with one, single idea. He gave them their twenty minutes of silent down time that they had trained their kids to give them after work before heading out to face the disappointment and anger that he was sure to experience. He tried to hit and run, give his dad the letter and get out the house before he could read it. But Hank Nelson wasn’t a slow man, not mentally or physically. He had the gist of the letter in a second and grabbed his fleeing son by the collar as Rick tried to rush past. Hank handed the letter to his wife of almost eighteen years. “Richard…what the ever-loving hell did you do?” 

Rick sagged in defeat and more than a little fear. “I play hockey…I don’t do all that other school stuff. Once I was in…we’d signed all the paperwork and I was going to school to play hockey. So I stopped holding the guys back from making sure the nerds who did my homework knew their place at school.” No way was he stupid enough to mention the very illegal actions he’d undertaken with Figgin’s secretary. 

“So, wait, you’ve basically been paying people to do your school work?” His mother gasped. 

“And you were still only making Cs.” His dad asked angrily. 

Rick looked down at his scuffed sneakers. “Yeah, they couldn’t really take the tests for me.” he muttered. 

Hank shook his son by the collar of his shirt. “Rick…you’re telling me that you’ve been getting by having other people do your schoolwork and couldn’t even be bothered to study for the damn test? You thought you were home free…so you stopped protecting them from your meat head friends. But you couldn’t even keep up the bare minimum to keep your scholarship. So now you have no prospects…no future…no nothing. If you think you’re gonna sit your ass around this house…you’ve lost your damn mind. In this house you’re either a student or a worker. So, since you already had your fun, you have two weeks to get a job. And it better be a decent one. If you’re gonna live in this house…you’re going to pull your own weight. Two hundred bucks a month in rent and you can take over the cable bill every month…that’s another two hundred.” 

“Hank…” Avelyn began gently. “Let him have a month to find a job…it’s a tough market out there and he only has a high school diploma.” Rick felt his heart sink. He’d hoped that his mother would have taken his side. “Oh, and you’re grounded for the rest of the summer. The only way you can leave this house is to go and look for work, but most places you have to apply online anyway…so you probably won’t be going out all that much. Maybe now you’ll stop harassing your sister for actually doing her school work and getting good grades. I’ve been telling you since you were a child that you had to do well in school if you wanted to do anything in your life. Well, I guess now you’ll believe me. I suggest you let your brother know so that maybe…just maybe he won’t screw up his life too.” 

Over the next month, Rick found that his parents were serious. He didn’t get to leave the house other than to go to church unless he was heading to an interview. He finally found a job at the Fairfield Inn. It was only a part time front desk associate position, so to make the money his parents said he had to pay to stay at home, he looked for a second job. Eventually he got a more regular nine to five as a receptionist for a day care center and then he moved to the two am to seven am shift at the hotel. Even with both a full and a part time job, he had less than a hundred and fifty bucks left after paying the cable bill and his ‘rent’. Once he paid his car insurance and for the gas to get back and forth to his jobs that was usually down to fifteen or twenty buck. At least paying rent meant that he didn’t have a curfew. Though working nights, six days a week and having a full time job Monday through Friday didn’t leave him for much time to do more than sleep. 

Many people who’d found themselves in similar situations would have accepted the responsibility for their actions and choices. Many people who’d found themselves looking at a bleak future due to their own lack of accountability would gain a backbone and increase their work ethic. Rick hated having to hold down two jobs and have no fun. He hated the fact that most of his classmates were gone and only coming home for breaks and holidays. He hated seeing them across the desk at his job when he couldn’t afford a night at the hotel he worked for even though it wasn’t a higher end chain. Rick hated himself, but was, quite honestly, too conceited and selfish to ever internalize that hatred. Instead he turned it outward. He began to blame others for his own short comings, his own lack of success. He seethed in rage and loathing and projected culpability as he saw his classmates become more and more successful. It was made even worse by the fact that it wasn’t just the famous trio that had success. Michael Chang bragged all over town when Mike’s grades came out. Hank and Avelyn could only shake their heads. Mike and Rick had once been teammates on a peewee hockey team. They couldn’t understand how two little boys who had started off so equally could have such divergent outcomes. Hank Nelson never thought about his own culpability either.

So while the world moved on around him. Rick became bitter. While he brooded, Wayne worked hard to raise his grades and Drusilla excelled beyond anyone’s expectations. Primarily because, though she was an avowed nerd, she found McKinley to be far less hostile to people like her than it had been just the year before. She found friends among the school’s newspaper staff and even submitted a few poems and a short story to the literary magazine. She joined the debate team and several other clubs. Very few people at the school even realized that she and Wayne were related, though he had put out the word that the new nerd with the mousy brown, waist length hair was not to be touched or bullied in any way so the smarter jocks figured it out quickly enough. Eventually Rick reached such a level of acrimony that even his siblings’ success was a slight against him. By the summer before his brother’s junior year, Rick was ridiculously spiteful. Hence, why he encouraged Wayne, Bree and their friend in their idea to harass Jake Puckerman and his friends. He went along with them, rather than sitting back to watch the fallout as had been his plan, because Bree’s friend gave him a blow job to gain his cooperation. 

That idea had ended poorly for all involved. Rick had had been arrested and charged with simple battery. He’d managed to get a fine he couldn’t pay, and time served. Thankfully it was a misdemeanor charge, so it didn’t affect his job at the hotel. But the day care center fired him because he ‘had a criminal record’. It took him three months to find a job working the day shift at a gas station near the hotel. He’d changed hours at the Fairfield Inn when he was finally able to take the promotion he’d not been able to accept due to the rigid hours associated with the day care center. The ‘promotion’ moved him up to a full time evening shift that paid a whole eight dollars and twenty-five cents an hour. Bree and her friend had been kicked off the Cheerios by Jake’s very, very irate big sister. And Coach Sylvester backed Tessa on the move when she and RJC told her it was either Bree and the other chicken head, or them, Sue liked their initiative and wasn’t a fan of either Nelson brother. Wayne was not kicked off the hockey team, but he wasn’t elevated to captain in his junior year either. 

Summer drifted into fall and fall cooled into winter, and the holiday season was upon the Nelson household. A few days before they drove to Missouri to spend Christmas with Avelyn’s family, Hank and Avelyn pulled Rick to the side. “Alright, Rick…for the past two years, you’ve seen that it’s almost impossible to get by in this world with just a high school diploma. So we think it’s time that you start looking at going to community college or a trade school.” Avelyn said to her oldest child with a motherly grin. 

Hank continued where she left off. “We’ve saved your rent money every month, that should get you through two, maybe three semesters. You keep your night job and go to school during the day. We’ll buy your books and whatever you need this first semester…next semester if you have at least a B average, we’ll foot the bill for that stuff again. That will be the way it works until you finish school. You work hard and make good grades and all you have to work for is to handle the cable bill and for spending money. Maybe when you finish the two years at community college, your grades will be high enough to get you to the next level and you can get a bachelors.” 

Rick looked at them in almost confusion. It had taken his father months to look at him without cursing and now they were…what, trying to help him? ‘Then again,’ a voice reasoned inside Rick’s head, ‘maybe they’ve been helping you all along.’ “Can I even go to a community college?” 

“You’ll probably have to write an essay convincing them to give you a chance and take some remedial classes. But Dru says she’d help you with the essay if you need it.” Avelyn smiled gently. “I know we were hard on you Rick, but if we hadn’t been…you’d have still been mucking around acting like the world was your oyster rather than knowing how to work for what you want.” 

He wasn’t sure what to say and he had learned a lot from the struggles that he’d had since he lost his chance to be more than a Lima Loser. Still he was carrying a lot of resentment. “Okay, I’ll try and get in for the fall.” He told his parents, surprised to see relief on their faces. All through the Christmas holiday, Rick was pretty quiet. His family assumed that he was thinking hard about how to get the second chance at higher education he desperately needed. But the truth was Rick was trying to figure out how to avoid it. He’d envisioned going to a real college where there would be nerds he could force to do his work…not a school where everyone there was just like him, only more devoted to their education. After the two days he had off for the holiday, he returned to both his jobs and he looked for ways to leave Lima behind for good. The year hadn’t been great for Rick ‘The Stick’ Nelson, and the following one would be no better unless he found a way to learn from his own mistakes. 

* * * * *

New York was a very cold city for a man who had no friends and served only as a false friend, false comfort or empty pleasure. Will Schuester was a man who readily made acquaintances, but rarely made true friends. He’d lost those he’d made in Lima through his own foolishness and lack of care for their feelings. He hadn’t made any in New York. However, in the three months since Will had completed his probationary period with the ‘firm’ he worked for, he had very much found and settled into his niche. While many of his co-workers were young and extremely attractive and buff, like Brody who had recruited Will, they were better suited to a different aspect of the business than the former Spanish teacher. Standing a nice, above average at six foot even, with his light brown hair, changeable green eye and tepidly handsome face…he looked like ‘that one guy’ everyone knew, a nice looking, guy next door. Most of the men employed by the ‘firm’ were walking, talking wet dreams Will and a few others filled a different purpose. They were perfect ‘boyfriends’. 

He still had his ‘afternoon delight’ clients who paid his rent, but like his coworkers in his ‘division’ of the firm, the regulars of Will’s client base consisted mainly of women who were considered by society to be plain or even ugly. They were more often than not uninterested in a sexual partner, instead needing a mildly attractive man on their arms at social functions and family gatherings. As New York entered the Holiday Season, Will found his calendar completely filled for the first time since he’d started working in his current avocation. Between office parties, friend group holiday gatherings and family dinners he sometimes had two bookings per day. The ‘firm’ provided their employees with a fitness center where they could work on keeping their bodies in peak physical condition and have some place where they could socialize among themselves since it wasn’t like they could speak about their jobs with people in their normal social interactions. It was in the employee fitness center, few days after Thanksgiving, that Schue received some advice from one of the other gentlemen in the ‘boyfriend’ division. 

“Willie-Fly, since you haven’t done this over a holiday before…let me hip you to some game. First of all…keep your story simple and believable…but you’re gonna want to google the details for sure. I know you used to be a teacher…but do not use that as your background gig…teachers don’t make much scratch at all. Try something boring that people are not going to want to know more about like an accountant. Nobody will ask you anything beyond, ‘wow, tax season must be a bitch’. Even other accountants don’t want to talk about that job. That being said…go online and read a couple of indeed articles or blogs that tell you what accountants actually do. Just in case you need to pull that knowledge out your ass or something.”

“Wow, Herman, thanks. I hadn’t thought of things like that.” Will said honestly. 

Herman Washington looked much like the black version of Will Schuester; attractive but not too much so. Tall, but not too tall with muscles that were defined, but didn’t look threatening or as if he spent his life in the gym. “Yeah, but you also want to have a few different bios in your head. Shit, I have a spreadsheet that basically outline my five ‘different’ bios and which of my clients get which persona. It’s good to have because New York is the biggest city ever and yet there are always times I run into some overlap. The good thing about guys like us is that we look like everyone, so it’s kind of easy to convince people that they are thinking of someone who just shares a few features or something.”

Will was mentally taking notes. He had learned the lessons he’d failed to understand when he was at McKinley. When someone who has been doing the same job for a lot longer gave him advice…he should listen. “So five would be enough?” 

Herman nodded. “Yeah, more than that is too confusing to me. I can’t remember the details of more than five. But by the same turn, less than three is just not enough to really cover your ass.” He smiled wickedly. “The last thing is only really useful this time of year or if you get called on for like a grandparent’s birthday…women never want to go around their hot sisters and cousins alone when it’s time to go to Nana Ethel’s ninetieth…but make sure you take at least a small gift. Doesn’t have to be expensive, in fact, you really shouldn’t spend more than forty or fifty bucks. But never, never ever never, show up empty handed. It makes your clients look like their ‘man’ doesn’t have any ready cash. That is not a good look for them and it sure as hell isn’t the one they are forking out an ass load of money to portray.”

That actually made a lot of sense to Will so he thanked Herman for the advice and when he finished his work out he showered and changed and headed straight to the Target he had found in Brooklyn. He had glanced through the dossiers for his engagements for the week but soon realized that personalizing the gifts to personalities was not only not feasible but completely silly since the gifts may well end up in someone else’s hands. Instead, with a small, sad grin Will decided to get gifts that would probably go over well universally and that meant something to him even if none of his clients or the recipients would know that. Will had a total of five office parties, four during the day and one early evening dinner party, and five family gatherings that coming week alone. He bought ten copies of ‘Necessity 4 Existence., ten copies of KAMA’s ‘ChristmaKah’ and five copies of the blue ray DVD of ‘SongBird’. He grabbed some holiday unspecific wrapping paper and a package of silver bows and checked out. When he got back to his Hell’s Kitchen apartment, he painstakingly paired one each of KAMA’s debut and holiday albums together and wrapped them carefully. Then he wrapped the five DVDs separately to act as hostess gifts for the family gatherings. 

Will liked the thought of finally doing something to help the kids he’d always cared about. He knew that they didn’t really believe that. He even understood why they didn’t believe it. But the truth was that no matter how much he had, very wrongly, played favorites, he had cared for all of his New Direction Kids. When the debut album had dropped he’d had to do without his usual hair products to buy a copy of it…but he had done so. He’d gotten a copy of the Christmas album for himself as well, but over the course of the holiday season, he bought forty-one of each CD and twenty-one of the DVDs. In his heart, he knew that even if the kids never forgave him, he would always support them by buying their records. 

After attending the first of his office parties, Will had completely understood the magnitude of the information Herman had shared with him. Having a solid background story in place and gifts in hand elevated the clients’ cache among their peers, friend and family. In turn, the women all tipped two, and in some cases three times as much as they normally would have. The Monday before Christmas, Will’s small gifts paid off in huge dividends. The upper level executive at Colgate-Palmolive for whom Will was playing ‘boyfriend’ that afternoon at her division’s Christmas Party was a big KAMA fan. When one of her employees had opened Will’s contribution to the gift grab, the man had laughed and showed everyone what Ms. March’s boyfriend had given for the grab. “Were you a KAMA fan before you two met…Ms. March LOVES them. I didn’t think anyone loved them as much as she does. You two are perfect for each other.” The entire assembled room shared a nice, warm laugh and it was very easy to see that many of the people in the room were looking at their leader with a bit more respect than before. 

Very happy with the outcome of the party, Ms. March, a relatively new client of the firm Will worked for, had tipped him over a grand for just a few hours of work. After the end of their ‘date’ she had ushered him into her office and pulled up her personal calendar. She booked Will’s services for all her business events where she would be expected to bring a date and even just those where it was reasonably possible that a date could improve her standing and status. “William, how far in advance would I need to schedule something should the need arise?” 

“My firm requires five days’ notice for meetings of one to five hours but seven days’ notice for overnight engagements for me.” He answered, almost by rote. Certain things were drilled into the escorts’ heads during their training and one of those was the required amount of time for scheduling appointments. Not only did it make the clients believe that the man was in very high demand…but it also made them more willing to pay the exorbitant fees associated with a short notice booking. “Otherwise we can schedule things further out as we just did…or if you choose, you may make a standing reservation. Those are especially useful if you’d like to ensure my availability for overnight stays.” 

Daphne March looked at William Schuester and thought for just a moment. She knew how she appeared to her employees and her employers. During her previous yearly review, she had basically been told that while her dedication was valued, they didn’t like the fact that she seemed not to have a live outside of her work. “Colgate Palmolive really is a family oriented company”, was repeated several times. That was the only reason that she’d approached the firm that employed Will. She didn’t want the burden of finding, vetting and dating someone. Daphne knew who she was. She was a nerdy, workaholic of a woman. She wasn’t beautiful, tall and lean. She wasn’t pretty and petite. She was of average height, average build, average looks. But her intelligence, attention to detail and work ethic were all far, far above average. She was only thirty-nine years old and she had already fought and clawed her way to the position she currently held as the VP of global oral care. Part of what had helped her to be so successful was that she wasn’t concerned with all the things most women her age were concerned with. She didn’t want a husband, had no desire to have children, no need either. Her parents had had three children, her older brother had two sons and a daughter and her younger sister had taken the whole ‘be fruitful and multiply’ a little too literally. 

While Daphne enjoyed many pleasures, especially designer shoes, clothing and French wines, she had never possessed a strong sex drive. Interactive sex two or three times a year with self-maintenance in between suited her fine. Still, Will Schuester was reasonably attractive, but not so much so that people would find it unbelievable that they could be in a relationship. He would suit her needs perfectly. “I would like to book you for one overnight stay every quarter of the coming year in addition to the dates we’ve already agreed upon.” She finally stated. She preferred Saturday to Sunday so as to not impact her work weeks. That far in advance, Will was able to work her around any important family dates, like his parent’s coming thirty-fifth wedding anniversary weekend and his own birthday weekend. Happily, they parted ways and Will was actually rather pleased with the thought of utilizing his training with that particular client. 

He was booked up through the weekend after the New Year began. Then he had decided to take a week off and visit his parents, since he’d worked through the holiday. Will Schuester was fairly sure that he finally felt like the adult his age made him legally. He was shocked by the fact that it had taken a year of the highest highs and lowest of lows to make him understand that acting like mature man was entirely different from actually being one. He could only hope that two thousand and fifteen would be his year of repentance…he knew his New Directions needed the closure and the truth was that so did he. 

* * * * *

Christmas in prison wasn’t anything like Christmas outside the tall concrete walls, but at the end of the day it was still Christmas and the effort was made at some institutions to allow the inmates feel the holiday cheer. Ohio’s Northwest Community Corrections Center was not really one of those institutions. Their nod to the holiday was extended visiting hours and a Christmas dinner that was comprised of stuffing, corn, pie and large Cornish Hens. The kitchen staff was kind enough to fill the prisoners’ trays up to capacity and they were allowed their feast. But the big feasting came afterward. If there were no fights or drama during the meal the guards looked the other way as the kitchen workers smuggle everything that wasn’t chained down back to the units. Later that night after the Christmas meal it was possible for any prisoner with something to trade to get pecan pies, ice cream and more Cornish hens. As long as it was gone by morning, and there were no fights or anything to bring extra attention to the unit, none of the guards said a word. 

That one day of semi-pleasant ness would be the last one Shane Tinsley would have for quite some time. His father and mother had visited separately. It had taken his mother quite a bit of time to be able to do so, but she’d finally managed to squirrel away enough money to leave her verbally, physically and sexually abusive husband. She had even taken out a restraining order against the elder Tinsley man and the guards at the prison had been very kind about helping her see her son on Christmas without having to deal with his father. Upon hearing that his parents were divorcing, Shane got very angry. Fortunately for him and all those on his unit, even Tinsley knew better than to show his ass on Christmas. However, the next day, all bets were off. Tinsley managed to end Boxing Day in solitary. 

That was extremely unfortunate for him, since the Chaplain received an email saying that Tinsley had been the one to kill Paul Puckerman in such a heinous and vicious fashion. Given that it had been well over a month and the guards' investigations had gone nowhere, they took the chance that the anonymous tip may have been correct and searched Tinsley’s cell. Inside the small six by eight-foot cell, they found minor contraband, including some candy and a pack of cigarettes, things they had expected to find. But they also found much more illicit items like a smart phone, steroids and two handmade shanks one made from an old toothbrush and one made from an old spoon. The sharpened toothbrush handle looked clean and unused, but the wrappings around the handle of the sharpened spoon were clearly bloodied. The cell was stripped of all personal items and Tinsley earned an extra three days in solitary for the cell phone and the drugs. 

It took several weeks for the Ohio State Police to determine that the shiv found in Tinsley’s cell had been the murder weapon that killed Paul Puckerman. Which then gave them probable cause for DNA testing to verify that the semen found inside and on the victim matched Tinsley. That process took longer still. Despite having gathered the evidence before the new year began, it was half way through twenty-fifteen before the Ohio state’s Attorney General office got the trial date set. Trials of prisoners were much more perfunctory. They were usually handled quietly and without media or very many witnesses. By the time the case had come to trial, Shane Tinsley had spent more time in administrative segregation…or solitary confinement…than he’d spent out of it. Two days had left him very angry so he’d beaten a guard. Then the news that he’d raped a fellow prisoner hit the still vengeful guards and he was given more solitary time. Upon his conviction for second degree murder with a sexual component or motivation, Shane Tinsley went from having served half his sentence to having added another thirty years to his original term and he was moved to a much higher security prison. It would take some time before his victim’s family would find out that the man who killed Paul Puckerman would serve his sentence at Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown. Shane Tinsley would have best been served by remembering the Chinese proverb about those who seek revenge… “When one begins a journey of revenge, start by digging two graves: one for your enemy, and one for yourself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual I implore my readers to let me know what you like or hate about this Chapter. I had to do an entire ton of research for this one, so let me know how it worked. 
> 
> If you're an American, Tuesday is Election Day. Every person over 18 must Go Vote!!!  
> If you're not an American, Pray for Us. 
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	15. Do You Hear What I Hear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out more about Cousin Daniel and the Harris family as Daniel shares his Christmas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****
> 
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories
> 
> Special thanks to Isis Aurora Tomoe who is my current Beta rock star

Daniel Harris PoV

From the second I landed in New York on Labor Day, things moved incredibly fast. Within hours, I’d managed to get them scheduled to do ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’ and was corralling a ton of different sources to figure the plan of attack to keep them from encountering a career ending backlash for the truths Puck and Sam had spoken at the VMAs. The very next day I was offered a full time position as the official Public Relations Manager for KAMA. After that dinner, I spent an hour on the phone with Riker. “Babe, I’ve got some serious news.” 

“Me too…” she said leadingly. But she sounded happy not sad so I went with it and let her go first. “Captain said that he would hate to lose me and Chris, but he got it if he had the choice of the NYPD or the Feds, he’d prefer the Feds too. His first partner is an Assistance Special Agent in Charge at the Seattle Field Office. The Captain had ASAC Mike Giardello meet with him and us over lunch…we’re going to go over to the field office and complete the application on-site. Giardello said that will shorten the wait time for some reason. He’s willing to take the Captain’s rec and big up both of us up his heirachy. All goes well and we will start the main part of the hiring process, which by the way, is majorly involved in three weeks. That’s when they give the phase 1 test again here in Seattle.”

“Wow, Rike, that is great.” I told her with joy in my heart. I definitely loved that this whirlwind of change may make good things happen for Rike and Chris too. 

“Yeah…it’s great but it’s also scary as hell. They do intelligence and knowledge tests first. Then if we pass phase one we have the phase two tests which are another written test plus a panel interview. After that is the most intensive background check in the business. Supposedly the CIA’s background checks aren’t as bad. If Chris and I make it through those, then there is the fitness test and the medical test.” 

I could hear trepidation entering in her voice. “Bae, come on Riker. You and I both know that unless the physical test is straight up ridiculous you and Chris will have no problem passing it. You both run half a marathon every freaking morning.”

She laughed at my exaggeration…but I wasn’t embellishing very much. The partners started every morning they weren’t undercover or something with a five mile run. Riker was in amazing shape, and Chris was even more so. “Thanks…I guess you have a point. But anyway, we make it past all that and then we have to do a three-month stint down at FLETC in Georgia before we do five months at Quantico.”

“Geeze. So you wouldn’t be able to move here full time until next year sometime.” I groaned. 

“That’s just it, it can take about a year just to get through the hiring process. As for living there full time, that’s only if I get assigned to New York or Newark.” She sighed. “As if couldn’t guess from the way you just asked that…what is your news?”

So I told her about the offer from KAMA, “Hundred and twenty grand a year salary, plus bonuses and a fifty-eight thousand a year housing stipend. That’s forty grand a year more than I was making at Revolution before you add in the housing allowance.”

“Damn, Danny-Boy look at how you done come up.” 

“Not me…we. Always.” I reminded her before laying out the benefits package, which was even better than the one I’d just had. I explained to her how Puck’s aunt was going to work with me to find us an apartment and all the other perks from the position. “But it’s not just me…they said that I can bring Grant in as my assistant and the general office manager. They told me to offer him sixty-five grand with a twenty-two grand a year housing stipend.” 

“He is going to be so happy.” She smiled to herself. “Look…give me couple of weeks. I’ve been reading that Newark PD is pretty on point and hiring. If Chris and I can get hired on there without undoing our applications with the Feds, maybe we can head over sooner rather than later.” 

I loved that idea, “yeah, but will they really hire you when they will be replacing you in a year anyway?” 

I could literally hear her shrug. “I don’t know…but we are both female detective level cops trained for undercover gang and vice work. It might be a sweet enough pot for them.” 

I had a thought that I didn’t share with her at all because she would kill me for even thinking it. “Alright, go ahead and move on that. I’m scheduled to fly home on the seventeenth. I’ll have my severance package from Revolution to use to get an apartment for us here plus the stipend so we won’t need push back our dream house more than a year or two.” 

Riker was very much good with that. After getting the adult conversation out of the way, we moved onto some seriously Adult Conversation so I didn’t get a chance to call Grant until the next day. Before we even got off the phone he and Dom were going online to look at apartments in New York. With Dom’s blogging bringing in around seven to ten grand every month, she could easily afford Manhattan living. To be honest it was actually as good a move for her as it was for Grant and I. Living in the undisputed fashion capital of the US was not a bad thing for someone who made their money off that world. I made sure to give them Mills and her business partner’s contact information. And went back to work on my own projects for KAMA. They were scheduled for two magazine interviews that fall, but I wanted to increase their visibility in main stream media. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to be possible before Christmas break, so I decided to get them a few phone or skype interviews with some smaller music mags. The interviews were really quick and they used the pictures that Darcy and I sent them so they were barely a blip on Mercedes, Sam and Puck’s radar. Best of all they did a lot to let people know that all three members of KAMA were about the musicianship. They weren’t just industry creations or one trick ponies. I was quite proud of how that had worked out.

When I spoke to them next, Grant explained to me that they were looking in the Chelsea area to be near the office and to be nearer the Lincoln Tunnel, which Riker and Chris would take on the daily if they went to work for the Newark Police department. They wanted two apartments fairly near each other. A three bedroom for Dom and Chris, because if Chris made it into the FBI and got assigned to either Newark or New York, they were going to start the adoption process. Grant wanted a large one bedroom or a decent sized two-bedroom apartment. They made Riker and I wonder if we should have been thinking about those things, but we decided to let Mills lead us and hopefully we’d find something awesome. All that mattered to us was sticking close to Chris, Dom and Grant.

When I flew out to Seattle, I had a meeting with my now former bosses at Revolution and we worked out my severance package which was protected by my original contract. The way Revolution handled their severance pay was simple, if an employee left having given notice and without moving to a competing firm, they were eligible to fifteen percent of their yearly salary. So, I got a little over twelve grand in severance. But we also had to bang out a consulting contract because I was going to offer them some boots on the ground support if any of their clients ever needed a PR presence on the east coast. We ultimately agreed on a base fee of a hundred and eighty dollars per billable hour for whenever they needed me. I was able to give them my new card with the information for my new office and it felt good to leave out of there with everything I’d wanted when I’d walked in. 

Things at our apartment wasn’t quite as happy. We ended up having to pay an extra month of rent to get out of our lease. I was rather unhappy finding that out since the truth was that I was already scoping out places in New York that we could buy and anything that took chunks out of our current income inevitably took bites out of our savings. Besides, the house wasn’t the only thing I was saving up for. Riker and I had been together for five years and being around Mercedes and Amanda full time had impressed upon me that if I was expecting her to change her entire life for me I had better put a fucking ring on it. They weren’t wrong. I loved her and we were going to be together for life, so it was only right that I made sure that she and the whole world knew it. I’d been looking but hadn’t found anything that she could wear when she was on the job. I knew there was nothing she could wear when undercover, but something with a diamond that didn’t stick out too much was better for her day to day work life and fit better with who she was. 

I had saved the entire signing bonus Mercedes insisted upon. But given how much Sam and Puck had spent on Mercedes’ ring and how much Ethan had spent on Amanda’s, I wasn't sure that twelve and a half grand was going to be enough. But by the same turn, if I spent too much, Riker might just kill me. It was a catch twenty-two of epic proportions. But that was life sometimes with a woman like Riker McGraw. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. We’d just gotten back to the apartment when Riker got an interesting phone call. “McGraw.” She answered in her professional ‘I’m a Bad Ass Cop with a Gun’ voice. “Yes Sir. That is true, Sir…but we only sent in our resumes last week. No Sir…of course Sir. Sir? Oh, yes Sir, our Captain here has been kept fully abreast of our job hunt. It’s not that we don’t love our precinct here. Yes Sir, moving to stay together as a family…strange though it may be to others. Yes Sir. She is my partner on the job and my soul-sister off the clock.” 

I didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping, so I went about cleaning up the kitchen. Riker sucked at cleaning the kitchen…the bathroom, laundry…she was great at those…but that poor kitchen floor hadn’t been mopped since I left. I’d actually just gotten started on mopping, after cleaning the counters and sweeping when Riker came in looking mystified. “That was Lieutenant Zutic from the criminal investigations bureau of the Newark PD. He called and we basically just had a phone interview. He’s calling Chris now and if it all goes well with her; he wants up to come to Newark for an in person interview the last week of the month.” 

“That works. I need Grant to start by October first at the latest.” I replied honestly. “We are in dire need of someone to corral things at the office. The HR guy will be there the thirteenth through seventeenth and they want most everyone to start the first of November. Haja and Ethan want stuff all in place so that they can hit the ground running.”

Riker nodded, then gave me a long measuring look. “You wouldn’t happen to know how, less than a full week after we submitted our resumes, Chris and I are already getting called for a phone interview, Would you dear?” 

I gave a noncommittal shrug. “Nope.” 

She gave me a disbelieving look. “Right, so Bryant had nothing to do with why it just seemed like as long as Chris and I don’t turn out to be crazed serial killers hiding behind our badges, we’re pretty much guaranteed jobs in Newark.” 

“There may have been a slight favor exchange between Dad and his counterpart in District ten. But all he asked was that if you applied, they looked at your resumes and the info from your Captain…no preference, just check you two out and see if they wanted to hire you sooner rather than later.” I admitted. I’d known all along that if she asked I’d answer honestly. I just didn’t tell her beforehand. 

She just rolled her eyes. “I hate you. I just want you to know that. Now I owe Dom twenty bucks.” 

I shook my head. “Never bet against what all I’m willing to do to keep you in my life, Rike.” I returned. 

Once I finished cleaning the kitchen, we turned out attention to getting the rest of the apartment into shape. I was still going to have to have a professional cleaning service come in if we wanted our deposit back but we made a good start. Of course, Chris’ call had gone just as well as Riker’s those chicks were damn good cops and any police department would be blessed to have them. With that information in hand, we got tickets for the four of them to fly New York the Friday after I returned. It was an easy decision to get a few hotel rooms for the five of us and made us an appointment with Mills and Francesca to look at apartments. When I explained to Mills what our plans were, she told me that she was going to show us apartments in areas between Chelsea and Newark so no one would have a ridiculous commute. 

That was exactly what the two women did. Riker, Chris, Dom and Grant all arrived in New York on the Friday before Riker and Chris’ interviews. I picked them up from LaGuardia around lunch time and we checked in to the Hampton Inn Manhattan-Chelsea which Aunt Dani recommended for us as a great value and close to where we needed to be. ‘Ain’t Got No Mercy’ was in classes and then she was wrapped up on work until Sunday. I really thought that meant that we’d have a quiet day and then just have the running around the next morning. I should have remembered Amanda Walters-Harris was as bad as her niece and sister in law…well almost. As soon as she got off work, she, Uncle Ethan and their truly adorable kids popped up and took all five of us out to dinner. Over dinner, Amanda somehow convinced Chris, Riker was pretty easy but Chris shocked me…to go shopping. Thank God, Uncle Ethan managed to work me and Grant free of their sinister clutches. 

Riker didn’t make it back to the hotel room until almost ten. “I love Amanda and you know that usually I have no problem spending time with her at all. But, oh My GOD…she just about killed us tonight. We went to Macy’s and Nordstrom and Saks and hells bells. One interview suit wasn’t enough. At Macy’s we got suits for Monday…we got shoes and accessories for Monday. But…you just HAD to tell them about the FBI hiring process didn’t you?” I groaned, of course this was my fault. “Well, Amanda…and Danica on the phone totally backed by Dom…decided that the suits that would work for local LEOs interviews wouldn’t be good enough for the Feds interviews.”

“Didn’t you and Chris tell them you weren’t that far into the process yet?” I pointed out.

She nodded emphatically. “Of course. But they pointed out that we still needed suits for court and shit. Then Amanda remembered that we were going to go apartment hunting tomorrow and how different we’d need to dress on this coast than we could out in Seattle.” 

I tried not to laugh. I really did. But Amanda and Dom and Dani all had a really good point. Things were far more laid back out west. “Well, show me what you ended up getting.” I offered gently. 

She sighed and pulled the Macys bag over to her. First she showed me a sexy as hell, single button metallic, black pantsuit. “Apparently tomorrow when we get done looking at apartments, we have to go to Mercedes’ house because her friend Kurt and Puck’s grandmother, Ruth, will be tailoring our suits for us.” She showed me a scoop neck hammered silk, dark teal camisole with like no back that she was to wear under it and a pair of black patent leather Michael Kors with a small band of gold around the heel that went with that outfit. Dom and Amanda had even fully accessorized her. She now had a cubic zirconia bar necklace with a gold chain, a pair of small bold gold hoop earrings, and a simple, Nine West, gold tone, bracelet watch. All of that was just for Monday. 

For Saturday, she had a pair of deep black, high waisted, faux leather trim trousers, a pair of sexy little ankle boots with a silver buckle details on the side. When she showed me the top, my mouth dropped opened. It was an embroidered lace flare sleeved top…LACE. My baby had gotten talked into lace. It was gorgeous, a barely blush lace cropped overlay over a longer black tank that was gorgeous and I knew would look amazing on her…but it was not anything she’d have picked for herself. A pair of silver hoop earrings and a simple silver watch were the only jewelry for that outfit. I told her that I loved it. We kissed for a long moment and it was almost an afterthought that she showed me her FBI interview suit. 

That suit was the…holy fuck it was beautiful. A black, sleek, pintucked blazer with a concealed zip front closure. The jacket was paired with a pair of matching sleek trousers, with an elongating flared leg, a simple charcoal gray, cotton, stretch tank, a pair of mixed material sling-backs with an ankle strap for extra umph with a mid-level heel. Amanda and Dom had gone with small hoop earrings again for that suit…in the very on trend rose gold, a matching rose gold tone stainless steel mesh bracelet watch. All in all, they had done right by her in every outfit. They were all gorgeous and would look amazing on her. One of the tops probably pushed her out of her comfort zone, but it was beautiful anyway. Once we got everything put away, I helped Riker in the shower…then she helped me in the bed, where helping was a metaphor for giving massive amounts of orgasms. The next morning, we were up pretty early. We got dressed and Riker looked every bit as beautiful as I knew she would in the chickish but still rockerish top. I threw on some slightly distressed jeans, a simple white long sleeve tee, black blazer and boots and was ready to go. 

We had breakfast in the lobby with Mills and her partner Francesca. Amanda had made sure that Riker, Dom and Chris knew what the two women looked like and vice versa, which was good because I kind of knew Mills a bit, but hadn’t met Francesca by that point. Despite having decided that we’d just go with the flow and find an apartment that just felt right, there were still plenty of things Mills and Frannie made us decide upon. Then they summarized it all just to make sure. “So the preferences are three separate units in the same building or at least complex. One for Grant by himself. I have a copy of your official employment letter which stipulates your housing stipend and salary as well as a letter of reference from Ethan and another from Haja. We figured it would be best if Daniel didn’t do one because it will be easy to see that he is a close, personal friend. Grant would prefer a good size two bedroom but is fine with a larger one bedroom. The second unit is for Chris and Dom. References from Captain Truman and your landlord in Seattle as well as your tax returns showing Dom’s income since Chris’ local income is contingent upon an offer that hasn’t yet been made…though we all know it will. You two hope for a nice large three bedroom with two to three bathrooms. Then Daniel and Riker…Okay, Bryant had the two of his exes who aren’t your mother each write you a recommendation letter, plus we have one from Captain for Riker. Daniel’s KAMA employment letter should make you two shine like the sun for these people. You are hooked on the ‘feeling’ rather than the specs but parking must be included because you will be selling your cars out west and buying a new one here. Are we missing anything?” Francesca asked when she finished. 

“Credit reports?” Mills pointed out. 

Grant reached into his messenger bag and pulled out three colored folders. “Daniel and Riker’s.” he handed her the red one. “Dom and Chris’.” He gave her the purple. “And mine.” He gave her the last folder, a green one. 

Mills took a second to move things from her portfolio to the appropriate folder before tucking all three back into the very professional case and stuffing that into her black leather tote bag. We handled the check and were on the way. What followed was a seriously ridiculous over complication of what should have been a simple thing. Mills had rented a mini-van from ZipCar for the day. She drove us over through the Lincoln Tunnel into a city called Fort Lee. We looked at apartments in about a hundred and fifty different complexes before we had a latish lunch in Weehawken. Over lunch we went through Grant, Mills and Francesca’s notes that detailed everything from paint colors and type of flooring to the flow of the floor plans and each of our reactions to all of those things. Then it was back to the Estuary at Lincoln Harbor to complete the paperwork. Thankfully Mills was able to negotiate things so that we got our deposits back in the, unlikely though it may be, event that Riker and Chris didn’t get job offers. 

The complex had everything we need and a hell of a lot of shit we just plain wanted. Onsite health and fitness center, Wi-Fi in all the common areas, two pools, a resident’s club room…twenty-four hour concierge and maintenance and a covered parking garage. Then the apartments had great amenities too. Full Sized washer and dryer in each unit, alarms for each unit, great hardwood floors and granite countertops. All five of us were ridiculously happy with our choice. Grant did end up with a two bedroom, because none of the one bedroom apartments had two bathrooms and he was okay sharing with Dom and Chris…but not miscellaneous people he may eventually have over. He would have a little under eleven hundred square feet all to himself. I was pretty sure that after as long as he spent in his sisters’ pockets, he wanted to dance a damn jig. Dom and Chris ended up across the hall from me and Riker, which was going to make their carpooling ridiculously easy. Our apartments were mirror images of the other, both three bedroom, two bath apartments with fourteen hundred eighty-seven square feet of space. Thankfully, since both Riker and Chris were cops, they got the two three bedrooms at a slightly reduced rate of right under five grand a month in rent. That was officially twice as high as our two-bedroom back in Seattle. Grant’s was only a little above three a month. Still, with his housing stipend, he only had to come out of pocket with a little under fifteen hundred bucks every month. He counted that as one hell of a win. 

Riker and I had a nice date night that night as did Chris and Dom. Grant said he vegged out in front of the TV in his hotel room and did some looking online for furniture. He had sold all the stuff in his storage unit before coming flying to New York and just brought some of his clothes and shipped the rest of his clothes and his game collection to the office address. He’d actually gotten permission from the place he kept his stuff in storage to hold an auction out of his large unit. He’d made a killing. I’d never have even thought to ask or how to do it. He was starting over, but once we got him in the office to do his paperwork while the Rike and Chris were at their interviews, he’d have a nice little furniture budget. No-Mercy, Sam and Puck all insisted that he and I each get a twenty-thousand-dollar relocation package as part of our contract. Granted we each had to stay with them for five years, but seeing as how they were family, I wasn’t going anywhere unless they made me. I doubted that loyal ass Grant would either. 

Sunday was a day of rest all the way around. Well other than the four hours we spent at Mercedes’ brownstone. I was pretty sure that Santana Lopez was actually Chris and Dom’s love child from the future. Watching the two of them interact scared poor Kurt so bad that he poked himself with his straight pins more than once. But when he and Mrs. Ruth were done, one couldn’t tell that Riker and Chris had gotten those suits off the rack. Monday morning, while Riker and Chris got dressed, I went and grabbed them a ZipCar for the day. I was on the account that Haja had for the office so it was quick and easy. Riker looked amazing in her striking metallic black suit with her thick wavy hair French braided and her jewelry sparkling at her ears, neck and wrist. Chris looked beautiful and professional in a more sedate, basic Calvin Klein fit solutions, zip-front side-panel jacket, slim-leg trousers and white ruched top. She wore understated silver jewelry which matched the silver wedding set on her left hand. With the height of her Calvin Klein studded platform booties, if Riker’s shoes didn’t have heels too, they’d have been the same height. 

When I got back to the lobby, I was shocked to see Santana walking in carrying a big ass makeup case. “Oh good tall, light and sexy. Take me to Riker. I’m sure Dominique has Chris well in hand, but I just know that Riker slapped on some chap stick and decided that was good enough.” She said as her greeting. 

I was a grown ass man, and I wasn’t ashamed to say I just thanked her and took her upstairs. Riker could fight that battle her damn self. When we got to the room, I went and got a towel to cover Rike’s new clothes as Santana had ordered while we were in the elevator and watched the quick battle of wills. “I’m interviewing to be a cop, not a fashion model.”

“Yeah, and that whole natural beauty thing you have going for you would be fine if you were still out in the land of grunge rock, coffee shops and apples, but you are in the Big Apple now, interviewing in a cop shop that is totally Big Apple adjacent. You have to go and show them that you are just as fabulous as you are fierce. Because I’m not about to have to hear Cedes bitching and moaning because her hero-cousin is sad that you can’t get your sexy ass here until twenty-seventeen.” Santana shot back. Then they descended into arguing in Spanglish and I kind of lost the thread of their conversation, but in the end, Santana won her way and Riker was looking totally amazing. Riker had just enough time to admire herself for a moment, thank Santana and get to stepping before she had to meet Chris and Santana had to disappear to make her next class. 

Chris came out of her room looking every bit as good as Riker, though with her longer hair, she’d gone for a simple, low, sleek ponytail. They fist bumped, grabbed the keys I was offering them, got kisses for luck…well, hugs from Grant who popped his head out as they were heading to the elevator…and headed for their appointment with destiny. An hour later Dom was ready and she, Grant and I walked the two and a half blocks to the KAMA offices. Once we had everything signed with all the I’s dotted and the t’s crossed, Grant was officially official…and more worryingly Dominique made friends with Darcy and Darcy completely adopted Grant. I showed Grant to his area and in a mere moment, Darcy had him all set with all the tech he’d ever need as well as his passwords and the silver key and white key card on a simple KAMA key chain that would give him gain entry to the office. An hour after that and he had his desk organized and ready for his first official day that Wednesday. 

Then Dominique wanted to go and walk along Broadway and see Times Square. By the time we made it back to the hotel, Riker and Chris had gotten all cleaned up and dressed down in comfortable clothes. But they certainly had news. “We had a job offer before we even left there today. They offered us our choice of homicide or special victims. We’d stay partners. Both options pay better here than what we were making in Washington. Special victims pays a little bit more than homicide…but even the Lieutenant said that the stress was fucking ridiculous and it took a very special kind of person to handle it. If we accept, we’d start November first. The benefits are about the same as back in Seattle, but if we need counseling it has to be with the PD shrinks or we have to pay out of pocket.” Chris summarized quickly. 

“The thing about it is that Spec Vic division pretty much expects turn over. The burn out rate is two years at best. So, if we take it and get into the FBI in a year…they’d about be expecting to have to replace us then anyway. And if we don’t move up to the Feds and just need to walk it back to homicide, or vice…we could.” Riker added. 

Dom and Grant simply nodded. I was more curious than either of them. Then again I was genetically nosy. “So, what are they offering in compensation? What are the downsides? Do you want to do it?”

I watched in consternation as Riker collected ten bucks from Chris. They freaking loved betting on people’s reactions, especially mine. “It’s all the same pros and cons when I was deciding on whether or not to take that gang task force job back home. Its hard work, but helping the victims and their families makes it worth it.” Riker postulated. 

“Yeah, and with SVU, there is a better chance of living victims.” Chris pointed out. 

Dom shook her head. “Dead ones would be less trouble. Rape victims often choose not to press charges. You know how that pisses you off in an esoteric sense…can you deal with the reality of it?” 

We talked everything through but in the end the decision was theirs and theirs alone. They decided to sleep on it. The Lieutenant didn’t expect an answer before lunch the next day anyway. So, we had breakfast together and I took them all to the office to meet Haja, Hudson and Darcy. Ethan asked Riker and Chris to let him go over their employment contract to make sure it was all good if they decided to accept the positions. Then somehow that turned into them calling and accepting the positions as detectives in the Newark Police Department’s Special Victims Unit. They had the contracts faxed straight to Ethan’s IP Fax number and he printed them out and went over them with a fine-tooth comb. He made a few changes that benefited both the PD and Riker and Chris and sent them back to the department’s legal team. It took them a couple of hours, but they faxed them back for Riker and Chris to sign. They emailed their current Captain and while he was sad to see them go, he did understand. He had moved to Washington state from Tennessee years earlier because the Seattle PD didn’t care that his spouse was another man. 

They did have to return to Newark for drug testing on Wednesday, but other than that, they and Dom had a blast sight-seeing while poor Grant and I worked our fingers to the bone. Thankfully, Grant didn’t mind researching cleaners and movers that could handle moving his sisters and me and Riker. By the time we met the women in our lives for dinner, he had everything set up and ready. “Okay, the apartments have to be ready for the movers on the twentieth. I went with Mayflower Transit. Your pre-move checklist is in your emails. They are packing for you…but they won’t pack clothing. That’s on you. But it has to be done by the eighteenth. Pack Day is October the eighteenth, load day is the twentieth. I paid extra for the insurance, on top of your renter’s insurance JiC. The truck is supposed to arrive in Weehawken on the twenty-seventh or twenty-eighth. They will unload, they will install, they will unpack the living room and office boxes and bins, they will even move furniture…they won’t unpack any bedroom, bathroom or kitchen boxes or bins.” 

He paused and looked down at his iPad. “You’re in that SpringHill Suites that’s literally in the middle between your complexes, the one on Yale Avenue…you’re staying there from Monday to Wednesday the twenty second. I got you one suite with 2 double beds and a sofa bed. It was cheaper.” He cut off any of our objections. The movers would be a big chunk of our budget. It made sense to save where we could. “Cleaners from LaDonna’s Cleaning Service will come in on the twenty first and clean the apartments top to bottom so that you won’t lose your deposits. You guys are to do the walk through with the cleaners when they finish then sign off so they get paid. Then do another walk through with your landlords before you sign off on their paperwork. They will mail you the cleaning deposit based entirely on that paperwork, so make sure you read it over and if you don’t like what they say, tell them that you need to have your lawyer read it before you can sign it. Then fax it to Mr. Harris, the elder. I scheduled your appointments with the landlords for those walkthroughs at nine in the morning. You don’t have to check out of the hotel until noon…so if you think you’ll be good on time, leave your luggage there, if not take it with you. But most of your clothes will be on the truck, so you should be okay.” 

I wondered why Grant had stopped. That couldn’t have been the end of his planning. I knew him too well to think that. I could see Riker’s eyes glazing over so I poked her in the side. When she perked up, he continued. “Anyway…I’m almost done. So when you check out, you head to the airport. Your flight is for three so you’ll need to be there by one thirty. I know that you have to turn in your badges and side arms…so you shouldn’t be carrying anything that will make you have to take FOREVER to get through security.” He grumbled. Oh the perils of traveling with a cop. “Anyway…when you get here. I should be all set for Dom and Chris to stay in my guest room and Riker you’ll bunk with Daniel at his uncle and aunt’s house. You can pick your keys on the twenty-seventh, so you should be good to move in when the truck arrives.”

Dom gave him a cheeky grin, “and you’ve emailed us each a copy of the timeline and added the dates to our calendar. You have such a well-developed frontal lobe.” She joked. 

“And you have the organizational skills of a three year old. Hence why I make sure to tell you and still give it to you a couple of other ways.” He shot back. The rest of dinner dissolved into teasing and taunting that only really happened between siblings and those friends who were closer than. As much as I loved spending time with my blood family and getting to know Nadia and Mercedes' guys better…I had really missed my people. 

I spent the month of October living a bi-coastal life for the most part. Whenever I could cull the time, I’d fly out and help Riker with going through everything and deciding what went with us and what stayed. I packed up my own closet and dresser. We decided that we’d sell the Rooms-to-Go furniture in our living room and step up to real wood bookcases in both the living room and the home office. So it was a matter of selling that stuff. We decided to post it on Craigslist and it went amazingly fast. Probably because we put in the ad that we’d be meeting people at Riker’s precinct and were accepting cash only so they knew we were on the up and up. Riker and I both had cars, as did Chris. We sold those bad boys to folks at the cop shop, easy peasy. Later model cars, fairly low gas mileage and only one previous owner, with Christmas on the horizon. Three cop kids were going to be merry as hell on December twenty-fifth. I was still there with KAMA whenever they needed me and I was able to go with Mercedes to do the Blush interview since her guys were visiting Puck’s eldest daughter. 

Oh that had been a fun time in the life of a PR manager. But we’d managed to weather it well. The move went smoothly, which rocked for me because immediately thereafter, Nikki’s mother died and Paul Puckerman was murdered in prison. I worked my ass off making sure that the family could have the time they needed without the press getting pissy from not hearing from them while they dealt with their personal dramas. Thankfully, all was quiet on the KAMA front the next few weekends. They went to the civil wedding of April Rhodes to Victor French who would always have a special place in my heart after he sicced his hounds on the NYPD to help KAMA weather the storm that came about after Puck spoke out at the VMAs. 

That Friday, KAMA and their entourage headed to LA for the AMAs. I was on call Sunday night but for the most part, I left them in Darcy’s very capable hands. In fact, since Riker and Chris were on shift Saturday and Dom and Grant were going to go shopping for more work clothes for him and Dominique wanted to go through some of the major stores she didn’t have access to in Seattle before she started filming her next set of beauty vids. Dad and I had been trying to get together, he said he wanted my help with something. So, he and Melliscent met me in Princeton for lunch. “You both like Nadia, right?” he asked as soon as we were seated with our drinks at D’Angelos…my favorite pizza place in the whole city. 

“Yeah Daddy.” Mellie returned. “At first, I thought she was just a little young…and very yak no…slutty…but she is wicked cool people. She is way smarter than I thought she was and she makes you way happy. Plus, Mom likes her…the way she explained the whole situation with dress codes blew Mom away.” 

I just smiled. Nadia had a very feministic take on dress codes and how they placed an unfair burden on girls and young women without asking boys and young men for any maturity at all. “Mellie’s right, Dad. I like Nadia too. She is witty and funny. She has a great head on her shoulders and I think she may be the only woman on earth you can be even remotely faithful to.” I smiled to take any perceived sting out of my words. “I mean, she’s pretty much my age so, yeah, I guess that’s a little weird, but it doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t bother you.” I told him honestly. 

“So, you either of you be upset if I asked her to marry me?” he prodded. 

I chuckled. “You must be serious about Nadia. This will be the third time you’ve gotten married in my life time, and this is the first time you’ve asked me if it was okay.” I teased him, but I gave him my support unconditionally. As our pizza arrived, that sentiment was quickly cosigned by Melliscent. 

After we served ourselves from the large pepperoni, olive and mushroom pizza, Dad brought us back to the matter on his mind. “So, then, after we leave here…would you two be willing to help me find the perfect engagement ring?” 

“When are you going to ask her?” Mellie asked excitedly. 

Dad shrugged. “I was thinking about doing it Christmas morning. We’ll all be in Lima after Devon and Kevon’s graduation so all my siblings should be there. Ellen was nice enough to let me take Mellie with me to the graduation and keep her for Christmas, so both of you, my children, will be there. Mills will be there and she is pretty much Nadia’s sister…in most ways.” The grin he gave told me a lot more than I hoped it told Mellie. “I thought that would be a nice way to do it.”

“That sounds great, Dad.” I assured him. “I’ve been planning to ask Riker on her birthday, but I have had less than no luck finding her something that she’ll not only like, but will wear.” 

“So, we’ll look for Riker’s ring too. You’re less than a month out.”

Mellie wanted the details. “What all do you have planned? You can’t just do any old thing.” 

I acknowledged the truth of Dads’ statement and answered Mellie’s question. “You aren’t wrong. I have reservations for us at Keen’s Steakhouse. I got her that newest James Patterson crime novel…even if she told the movers that they were all mine because no real cop would read them. I got a new shirt, but I’m saving her favorite of my suits for the night. Every damn thing is ready except the ring.” 

Melliscent laughed at me then suggested we hurry up and go find our women their damn rings. When she has a good idea, Dad and I liked to encourage her. Let her know that thinking was rewarded in our family. As were her four point oh GPA and award winning tennis and soccer skills. Over the next five hours we hit every jewelry store we could think of that I hadn’t tried yet. We even hit a few department stores that had jewelry department stores. Mellie found some cool new boots. Mellie found a great new necklace. Mellie found a top that was just to die for…I recognized it as the red over black version of the one Riker had worn when we went apartment hunting. But I didn’t find a ring that my woman would love as much as I loved her. I was near the point of giving up when Dad finally found a perfect ring for Nadia. It was a simple solitaire ring with a slightly wider than usual platinum band and a big ass rock of a diamond. 

We were in a store we’d almost walked right past, but Mellie claimed we were being snobs and dragged us inside. The shop was owned and run by a lady who so reminded me of Ruby Dee from ‘The Stand’. She was seriously old and seriously, mystically weird. She asked Dad a lot of questions about the things he loved most about Nadia, and the weirdest thing was that whenever he got a little too specific, I couldn’t really hear what he was saying even though he wasn’t doing his dropping his voice thing. it was weird. She brought out a tray of similar rings with different size diamond and Dad picked one that would look huge on Nadia’s small hand but not one that would be completely over powering. Then before he could even say anything she was moving it from the tray into a wine-red velvet ring box. “Now you, you were your father’s son, but you found your soul’s peace long before he did. Come tell me about her.” 

What could I do but tell her all about Riker? When the mystical, ‘Mother Abigail’ lady issues a command, of course I had to follow it. Then she looked at me and smiled. “Not many choices, only two for you.” She came back and brought exactly two rings. In fact, it was actually the same ring with one difference. The ring was really, really perfect. The band was nice and thick and held four inset diamonds on either side of the three center stones. It took me a second to realize that there were six progressively smaller diamonds in the top and bottom of the thick band above the four ‘shoulder’ diamonds. The centermost stone was a one carat diamond that shone like a star. The other two bracketing center stones was where the two rings were different. One had two slightly smaller diamonds and the other had two gorgeously blue, blue topazes. Blue topaz was Riker’s birthstone and her favorite gem. I didn’t even gesture. Didn’t say a single word just thought about how those were her favorites and the woman nodded, pulled out an emerald green velvet ring box and put the ring I’d mentally selected inside. “You’re right…the topaz.” I heard her mutter. Then she grabbed Mellie and shook her head. “Too much jewelry will make you look cheap.” She admonished. “One good, nice piece with each outfit…not too much.” 

“Yes, Ma’am.” My little sister answered sweetly. She would ignore it. Her mother had been telling her the same thing for a while. 

The cost of the ring I bought Riker would have paid our rent for three months. So, I knew she could never know how much it cost. Ever. Dad took me to his insurance agent, and it was ensured before I headed back to Weehawken. Best seventeen grand I’d ever spent in my life. I could not wait for the twelfth of December. But that would definitely end up being a long wait. The next morning, things went downhill in a professional sense. With the shooting of a kid in a park in Cleveland, I spent the day fielding calls from different press organizations wanting to know what KAMA’s position was on it. Which meant that I had to inform Mercedes, Puck and Sam about the situation for which not much information was available. Fortunately I already knew what they would each have to say about it, so crafting the statement for the press was pretty easy. The hard part was hearing the devastation in Sam’s voice when he asked me for the third time the age of the child. 

The next hurdles that had to be jumped were far more pleasant. The Grammy nominations came out the same day Mercedes, Sam and Puck hosted us all at Crave Fishbar. I spent the afternoon putting out press releases and statements about both the nominations and the impromptu press conference that had happened at Columbia. But that evening we got to just have fun. The food was amazing and the bonuses and Christmas gifts were even better. I had drawn Cleotha, Uncle Ethan’s Legal Secretary’s, name in the Secret Santa drawing. Dominique was kind enough to pick out a gift he loved, a pair of headphone earmuffs. She’d met him exactly twice but knew that since he rode the subway to work they were perfect for him. I ended up getting an external phone charger from Brigid who’d drawn my name. It was a perfect gift for anyone who had to be constantly linked in to the world. It was an especially good gift for me…I was always running low on charge. 

I was in PR heaven that following week. I was able to leverage KAMA’s six noms into interviews with a full dozen magazine. But that wasn’t just great PR for KAMA, or for Mercedes, Sam and Puck, it was also damn good publicity for Artie, the dancers, Dave, Cassidy, Justin and Erika. I was hella proud that I had managed to get press for everyone…except the background singers. I tried but there were just no mags or even rags dedicated to their contribution to music. By Friday I had that all in place and updated the shared KAMA calendar and I was able to go back to trying to figure out how to propose to Riker. 

Actually, I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked I still had to get home and get ready. After making sure that I had got the wine-red velvet ring box from my desk, I left Brantley alone in the office around noon. The rest of the employees were either working from home or had taken Mercedes, Sam and Puck at their word and took the time between our office party and the twenty-seventh off. I made my appointment at Mane Source in Jersey City. Cleotha recommended the place to me. It was where he got his hair cut because his cousin, Mel worked there. Mel did my ass right too. My fade was right and tight when he finished. I tipped him extra for the job he did on the line up alone. I got home and cleaned the whole apartment, which wasn’t that bad. We’d finally finished unpacking so it just needed a little tidying. I pulled out my tailored, black, Pal Zileri modern-fit two-button virgin wool suit, made sure my black, Cole Haan, leather wingtip oxfords were shined and took my dark purple, Hugo Boss dress shirt with me into the bathroom so it could steam as I showered. There weren’t any real wrinkles in it…but it was a force of habit. After my shower, I lotioned before I brushed my teeth, flossed and gargled. I rolled on some of the Anthony alcohol free, unscented antiperspirant deodorant I had to use unless I wanted a risen under there. That shit had only happened to me once…and I sure as hell I stopped complaining about spending eighteen bucks for deodorant. Then I shaved and used an unscented aftershave and a little of my ‘special occasion’ scent, Burberry Touch Homme. I only used it on very special occasions because Riker called it my panty dropper cologne. 

I strolled naked into the bedroom and made sure that my six pack was right and tight. Working with Sam and Noah and some of their friends was enough to give a man a complex. But I knew I was fit and I kept in good shape so I had to keep reminding myself they were younger than I was. I pulled on a pair of purple short boxer briefs, as well as socks in the same color. A black, cotton, tank tee finished off my underwear. Since I still had some time to kill before I put on my suit, I went in our finally furnished living room and watched some TV. I may have nodded off a little bit. I needed my rest, something told me I wouldn’t get any that night. I was awoken by a knock on the door at ten of five, and fortunately it was only Dom. “Shit, Danny-boy…why aren’t you dressed? You know if Riker get home and you aren’t ready…you two will never make it out of here. Remember last year?” 

Riker and I may have been two hours late to her birthday party. Not needing a repeat of that, I’d arranged to have Dom and Chris help Riker get ready while I chilled out with Grant. I was supposed to head down there at four when Riker and Chris got off work. “They had to work late?” I asked as I headed into the master bedroom to don my suit, shirt and shoes. 

“Yeah, they had to finish up the paperwork on that rape case they caught two weeks back. They’re heading home now.” Dom answered. “I wanna see the ring. You’ve kept it locked in your office and I asked Grant to describe it but all he would say was that words couldn’t do it justice.” 

“Look in my coat pocket on the coat rack.” I told her. 

I could hear a little bit of rustling…then Dominique came rushing into the room. “What the holy, everlasting, muthafucking hell, Daniel? This isn’t two months’ salary…it’s like five. It’s gorgeous and if I liked men at all, I’d be fighting Chris to talk you into taking us in as part of a fucking harem, but you know Riker is going to kill you.”

I just shook my head. Dominique was nothing if not a drama queen. “It took me five months of looking to find the damn thing. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a lady’s engagement ring with a low profile and with the stones set into the band? When I saw that bad boy, the PERFECT ring for my best friend and the woman I love more than air itself…if the shop owner had demanded that I cut out one of my kidneys right then and there I would.” I said honestly. 

“Awww…Danny-Boy loves his little Rike-Bike.” She teased. 

I laughed as I made sure that I had everything I needed for the evening; black wallet, smart, black watch, iPhone and my special android that was linked in to all the important industry news and gossip sites. On the way out I put the ring back into its box and into my coat pocket. I grabbed my keys, the wrapped Patterson novel and a small tin of Altoids. Dominque would tell me later that I’d cut it so close my cologne had been lingering in the elevator when Riker and Chris took it up to our floor. Grant had confirmed the reservations for me when he couldn’t reach me earlier to verify that I had. Which was great because I hadn’t thought that was needed. Two hours after I got to Grant’s, which may have been filled with some Saint’s Row…I got the text telling me that I could come and pick up my date. Grant grabbed his keys and the gift bag holding his gift for Riker and went up with me.

When I saw the woman I wanted to make my bride, she took my breath away. She looked amazing and smelled even better. I recognized the scent of her ‘special occasion’ perfume, Calvin Klein Reveal Eau de Parfum. The way the woodsy undertones of the perfume melded with her natural scent drove me out of my mind with want. Her thick tresses were straight with just a hint of curl to the ends to bump the chin length bob under. If I didn’t know Dom so well, I’d have assumed that she wasn’t wearing makeup at all, but her skin glowed with health and vitality. Her eyes sparkled with a hint of some pale shimmery something on the lids. Her lips were almost their natural color, just a slightly stronger shade. She didn’t wear much jewelry, not that she ever did, just a pair of dangly silver or white gold earrings that were shaped like metal leaves or feathers. Her little black dress covered her from neck to knee and followed every one of her athletic curves. The sleeves of the dress were cut in at the shoulder and went down to over the slim silver watch and small bangle bracelet on her wrists. The sleeves and insets cut at her waist were a dense black lace that gave the barest glimpses of her gorgeous honey colored skin. Her legs were covered in the sheerest of black stockings and her feet shod in sexy as hell, suede pointed toe pumps with mesh insets at the bottom of the toes and around the back of the heels. “God, Rike, Baby, you are breathtakingly beautiful.”

She gave me a cheeky smile. “You don’t look so bad yourself. And Damn you smell fan-fucking-tastic.” 

“Well, before you two forget that you have ridiculously hard to get reservations and start fucking…you’d better go.” Dom pointed out as she helped Riker into her wine colored, wool, formal wrap coat. Chris handed her a small black shoulder bag purse. Riker quickly checked it for her badge, wallet, cell phone and her off duty side arm, a compact Smith and Wesson M&P 40C. On or off the clock, cops were expected to be able to handle any circumstance. Even though she was a Newark cop, if something went down and she could have stopped it and she didn’t, there would have been hell to pay. 

I offered her my arm and we made our way from our fifteenth-floor apartment to the parking garage and our new blue Toyota Highlander. We’d pretty much just replaced the twenty-ten Highlander we’d owned in Seattle. I drove into the city and was surprised that traffic was somewhat not that bad. I let the valet handle parking our car and I escorted Riker into the century old steakhouse. At first it had struck me as strange that Riker, a woman, loved steaks so much. But I loved that about her. She was just so damn real. One of the things she’d said she wanted to do when we moved was to eat at the iconic steakhouse. I’d juggled her and postponed it since I knew her birthday was coming up and I wanted to celebrate it here. 

We were seated quickly and our waiter was attentive. We started our dinner by sharing a lump crab cocktail then each ordered our own appetizer. Riker ordered a serving of the restaurant’s thick cut bacon while I got the Maryland crab cakes. Of course, both were shared between the two of us. For our entrée, we ordered the Chateaubriand steak for two, with three sauces. I was good and got the Keens’ sautéed spinach and the pan-roasted broccoli and cauliflower to go with my steak. Riker was true to herself and got the hand-cut French fries and the fine string beans. We let the waiter choose the wine though we only had one glass each and plenty of water. The food was amazing. Our conversation was as spectacular as always. Riker had me laughing at all the cops in her new precinct and how many of them actually acted like the stereotypes of East Coast cops from TV. After our waiter cleared the dishes from our main course, I took the ring out of my pocket and placed it on the table in front of her. “Riker Coahoma McGraw…I’ve been trying to come up with something beautiful and poetic all day. But you would laugh in my face if I tried to come to you with anything but the pure, unvarnished truth. You are my best friend. You are the other half of my soul, my soul’s peace and home. You’ve been more than a wife to me for the last five years and the last five months for sure. Would you do me the honor of marrying me whenever, however, wherever you deem fit?”

Riker’s smile was incandescent. “Call for the check. We’ll have dessert at home.” She told me as she nodded her answer. I quickly did as bid and took the ring from the box and put it on her finger. It really could have been a Cracker Jack prize ring for how much she looked at it. All that mattered to her was that I’d finally proposed. 

When the check arrived, I was shocked to see that there was a zero balance. I looked at Riley our waiter. “Puck said to tell Riker, ‘Happy Birthday to the baddest, coolest cop he knows’,” the rather androgynous waiter told us with a wicked grin. 

All Riker and I could do was laugh. Those three had people every damn where. I hadn’t expected them to be able to do anything crazy, they had flown to Lima for Sam’s baby brother’s birthday. Considering that I was in a hurry to make love to my new fiancée, I decided that I’d worry about that shit later. I tipped the valet heavily since he had the car waiting on us when we walked out the door. We made it home in under twenty minutes and made love until dawn. It was actually the next day when Riker opened her novel from me, the deluxe Choctaw Native 925 turquoise & brother bear necklace from Grant and the Yeti travel mug from Chris until the next morning. Dom had given her the lipstick she’d worn the night before that had come in a pretty glass pot. Riker was kind of shocked that our resident beauty blogger had finally found her a lipstick that she’d use in the future. We spent the day in bed, making love a few more times, then spent the evening hanging out with Chris, Dom and Grant in Grant’s apartment because he had the best video games and the biggest TV. 

Our days developed a routine, but that was interrupted by Christmas week. Chris and Riker had been on the clock over Thanksgiving, so they both had a whole week off for Christmas. Grant, Chris and Dom went to El Paso to spend Christmas with Dom and Grant’s parents while Riker and I went to Ann Arbor then on to Lima. We had a ridiculously cool Christmas, even with all the damn shopping and the drama the day before Christmas eve. Riker loved all her Christmas gifts, even if she wasn’t sure she would ever have anywhere to wear the round cut, halo London blue topaz and diamond earrings that Sam’s vengeance had secured for her. I let Darcy put the word out about KAMA’s gifts to each other, but I used my sources to spread the word about all the sparkle Sam, Puck and Mercedes had gotten for their mothers and grandmothers and aunts and sisters. Their after-Christmas sales spiked forty five percent above expectations when that little tidbit hit TMZ and Entertainment Tonight. 

Since Riker was working New Year’s Eve, we celebrated the night before. Just for me she wore the lingerie I’d barely paid any attention to the night we got engaged along with her engagement ring and the earrings that matched it amazingly well. That was one hell of a way to ring in a new year. Two thousand and fourteen had been nothing like what I expected. So much so that I wasn’t even trying to guess what would happen in Two thousand and fifteen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well My Fellow Americans, remember how we all laughed and scoffed at England...how we all acted so superior to their xenophobia and bigotry after Brexit...yeah, in the immortal words of Jessie J...whose laughing now.
> 
> We now have a bigoted, misogynistic, xenophobic, lying liar of a sexual predator for our president. For those of you who are old enough to remember those 'Don't Blame Me...I voted for Bush' bumper stickers from back in the day, are you also wondering where we can get the 'Don't Blame Me...I voted for HER' ones.
> 
> To the rest of the world...Allow me to go on record as saying that while America is my country...that is NOT my president. I apologize for all the offensive, untrue, vulgar, mean, crass...well you get the point...things that are very much likely to come out of his mouth over the next four years.
> 
> PLEASE restore my faith in humanity...Review.
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni


	16. Silver Bells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At last we hear from Sue Sylvester.  
> The last chapter of Commune & Friend's second college Christmas Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****THANKS to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your encouragement helps more than you know!****
> 
> Thank all of you for being avid readers & reviewers of my stories
> 
> Special thanks to Isis Aurora Tomoe who is my current Beta rock star

Sue Sylvester PoV

I had to admit, things were going pretty damn well in the life of Sue Sylvester. In the years since I had lost the National Cheerleading Title for the first time in a decade, I had managed to claw my way back to the top. I had run William ‘I’m an idiot by choice’ Schuester, not just out of McKinley, but all the way out of Ohio. In fact, through the many and varied contacts of Mr. Sue Sylvester, aka Don Motta, I’d even found out that Brillo-head was living the low life as a sex worker. Though, to be fair, he was a sex worker for an elite gigolo service that may or may not have been owned by one of Don’s cousins on the less than legal side of his huge Italian and Egyptian family. Perhaps it was somewhat cruel of me, but I rather enjoyed knowing how far the man, and I used that term loosely, had fallen. I didn’t feel bad very long however, According to Don, Schuester was gaining a certain level of popularity among women of a certain age who were not able to find, or had no desire for, a long-term relationship. I was still very proud of the fact that I was part of the reason for his current degrading employment. After all, I had made sure that he would never get another job in education. Yes, I was quite happy cross that name off my list of enemies to be crushed under my thumb. I didn’t have to ever think of William ‘Moron’ Schuester ever again. 

I was even happier about how things were going in my professional life. In Lima, I had managed to wrest control of McKinley from the overly niggardly hands of Aloysius Figgins. Though, I couldn’t take all the credit. He had basically done it to himself. His stupid austerity measures had negatively impacted the wrong people and he was demoted so far that I was able to keep him on as one of the janitors just to allow him to see my success rise from the shadow of his failures. Once I had complete control of McKinley, I forced the school board to give me a budget that was comparable to that of the other high schools in the area and I made sure to reclaim the parts of the winnings of the Cheerios, the New Directions and the Titans that the school board had taken as their due. With those funds in hand, I could make the changes that I had seen as needed for years. But first I had needed to consolidate my power. 

Becky had reached the age of twenty-one, which meant that she could no longer attend McKinley as a student. So I formalized the position she had held for the previous four years as my personal assistant. She was now paid to make sure that my schedule ran like an imported Swiss timepiece. She also acted as a go between for me with the B and C Cheerio squads. She made sure that the two secretaries in the administration office maintained all the necessary files and paperwork that came with running a school. I also had her monitoring the internal grade book system to make sure that there was no tampering with grades by anyone who shouldn’t have had access. I’d heard rumors that one of Figgins' secretaries had been stupidly easy to manipulate or blackmail. I hadn’t been sure if it was the one with the face even a mother would have had trouble loving or the one who was old enough to have taught math to Pythagoras. So, I’d gotten rid of them both. One had been encouraged to retire and the other was shifted over to Shawnee High. I’d culled two of my former Cheerios who were working in the secretarial pool over at the Board of Education to fill those spots. 

I’d also found two vice principals, one to work with Pillsbury and myself on curriculum and the second to work with me handling student discipline. Harvey Miranda was culled from Lima Catholic High. He had taught every grade level from seventh through twelfth. He understood how to arrange schedules and curriculums to the biggest benefit for our students. His wife of forever had worked loyally for Don for over a decade…I desired two things in my people; intelligence and loyalty. He had both. So too did the young lady that I hired to oversee student discipline. Victoria Bennings had graduated the year before Fabray the Elder. She’d been smart and idealistic…but more ruthless than one would have ever believed. Before Becky, she had been the best enforcer I’d ever had on the Cheerios. She’d recently graduated with a Master’s in education administration. One of the first things we did was sit down and go over the McKinley Teacher handbook and rewrote the discipline section to be more easily understood and to clearly state the levels of punishments for common and uncommon infractions and a few that I knew were rare but that Schuester had let go despite the fact that they almost caused someone great bodily harm. Together we removed the ability for arbitrary or over reactive penalties. Justice would always be equal across the board as it always should have been. Though I did leave myself and my staff some room for negotiation. Teenagers came up with the stupidest ideas and thought they were good ones. I preferred to not be too boxed in when having to deal with their ‘brilliant ideas’.

I also got the guidance department back up to par. Little Miss Golden Marmoset now had two underlings to counsel the students on all the messy things like emotions and relationships. She’d be able to counsel them on academics and college and career planning. It was a much better set up than expecting one guidance counselor to handle the academic and emotional needs of thirty-two hundred students. The department also had a secretary and an online scheduling system that would allow students to schedule time to see their choice of the three counselors. In a year or two I would add another counselor and assign them each a grade level to manage. I was mentally pushing that back to two years because midget-Barbara Gordon had come back from Thanksgiving wearing her Corn-fed Hal-o-saurus’ ring. I’d known immediately that that bad boy was more than just a pretty bauble and I’d need a new head of the guidance department and career counselor by the end of the summer. 

The other changes were both big and small. The school had an actual security system rather than a whole bunch of empty bubbles. I’d hired a retired cop from Cincinnati, who’d been a friend to Don, to watch the feeds for signs of bullying, drug deals, sexual activities or harassment…basically all the things that didn’t belong in a school though they’d been happening at McKinley for years. All the locks in the school, other than those of the April Rhodes’ Auditorium had been changed, Baby Puckerman would have to find a new office. The key his big brother had bequeathed to him upon the elder ‘sex-shark’s' graduation wouldn’t work anymore. I’d shifted out more than a few teachers Figgins had hired because they were willing to work cheap. They’d not known their subjects and a few of them were only teachers because they couldn’t get any other job. When you had morons for teachers, all you produced was more morons. I’d hired some new teachers too. After bullying the idiots on the Board to raise our beginning salary to something more able to compete with some of the larger districts in the state, I was able to pick and choose from a better crop of teachers. Lima City could afford it. People paid enough in property taxes, they shouldn’t have had to deal with sending their students to crap school. The fact that McKinley had been one of the better schools in the district didn’t mean it wasn’t still a crap school. With the new teachers, we no longer had any unused classrooms which also meant that we had smaller class sizes. 

I went over my mental list; better security, teachers who actually knew their subjects, i.e. foreign language teachers who were fluent in the language they taught, a wide range of student activities that built more than just physical aptitude, a guidance department that could really serve the needs of the student body, oh…the nurses. I’d hired two of them, Laverne Roberts, RN and Katherine Ann Foreman, LPN who preferred to be called Kitty for some god awful reason. Her husband was much more my type of person though. Those two were great. Students wanting to check out for medical reasons had to make it past one of the two of them. Roberts was a total hard ass, she once set a kid’s wrist in a splint and sent him back to gym to walk the rest of the period because all that was going to happen otherwise was his parents would have a major ER bill for a nurse there to do the same thing. Foreman seemed all sweetness and light, but she knew the raunchiest jokes I’d ever heard and when a kid came in wanting a pass they’d better be bleeding, vomiting or have a fever that bordered on febrile seizure range or they were shit out of luck. 

In the year I’d had the helm, truancy was down. Disciplinary actions, both student and teacher, were down across all grade levels. We hadn’t had a shop class accident all year. Replacing that alcoholic, neo-nazi who had less fingers than the angry squid from Spongebob had made a world of difference. Our coaching staff was happier. Beiste, Black Sue, Tselios, the hockey coach, and myself, we all had actual assistant coaches, which made managing our teams and teaching…which we all had to do…a hell of a lot easier. Besides the assistant coaches were full time teachers as well so it really did work out. It made controlling the hormones of a bunch of idiot cheerleaders and ball players a hell of a lot easier. I’d also hired a basketball coach, Taylor Griffith, and a Baseball coach, a MLB washout named Jeremy Giambi. Beiste was a great football coach, but real team development took too much time for her to be able to coach basketball too. The students had expressed an interest in resurrecting the defunct baseball team…and both Griffith and Giambi came pretty cheap since they were each part-timers.

There had been those who disagreed with my placement as principal of McKinley considering that many, many of the teachers who had washed out as educators had cited me as a primary reason…but there was no arguing with results. McKinley’s graduation rate, grades and test scores were up. Our football, synchronized and individual swim teams, hockey, debate and Mathletics teams were all state champions. We held national titles in cheer, show choir, and -thanks to David Martinez-academic bowl. Thanks to having Shelby Cochran and improving academics, we were pulling people into our cluster, which was increasing the board’s coffers. 

Damn it felt good to be me. As great as things were going for me professionally, my personal life was even better. In Don I had found a man who was just as strong, ruthless, loyal and intelligent as I was. We shared similar interests and a few of the same fetishes. He and I both loved who we loved and hated pretty much everyone else. It had taken a hell of a lot of time for Sugar to grow on me, but watching how much she loved Jeanie…I couldn’t help but love that kid. Her sense of fashion was freaking atrocious, but she could dance her ass off and adding her to the Cheerios had turned out to be a benefit rather than a hindrance when it came to planning routines. With the improvements at the school, I was able to actually have a life outside the Cheerios. As much as I loved winning, without Jean, I could have seen myself becoming increasingly bitter and losing even the joy I found in crushing others to my will and beneath my heel. Having Don and Sugar and Jeanie to come home too…it was beyond nice. 

The holidays were interesting. There were a lot of traditions in a family like the Mottas. Traditionally the men in the family spent the days of Thanksgiving and Christmas with their wives’ families. For us that actually meant spending them with the Jones, because the food was worth being around that much happiness for that long. Well the food and the fact that Jeanie loved the kids in their house and hearing Mahalia sing never failed to not only bring smiles to my girls faces, but to get Don in to mood for love. However, while the day of was for the wife’s family, the Mottas had a big ass family event the day before Thanksgiving and on Christmas Eve. It was held at the family compound in Rumson, New Jersey. The house, which the family called Hidden Acres, was huge and there was room for EVERYONE. Don’s mother and her sisters cooked a meal full of Italian and Egyptian delicacies. I wasn’t expecting the immediate acceptance that I received…or that they gave to Jeanie. 

We went on Tuesday and left on Thanksgiving morning to head back to Lima. I was so stuffed, we didn’t eat again until dinner at the hotel ballroom they had rented to host the seventy-five people they considered family. I was shocked that everything tasted just as good as it had the previous two Thanksgivings. I expected that as they added more people into the fold, they would hire caterers or something…but nope. They had fed their family, expansive as it may have been, from their hearts. It was a great feeling to be included in all that love, though I’d never admit it to a soul. Friday morning, Sugar had me up and out at four so we could be in Columbus at six to go shopping for Christmas. I let her have her way. It felt good in a strange way to be the mother to her that my own had never been to me. As we shopped, she and I talked about her future. “I know that I did well on the SATs and my grades are good and everything, but I just don’t think I want to go to college right out of high school.” 

I gave her a hard stare. “Give me three good reasons why not.” 

She did take a moment to think about it. “Okay, the first one is that I’m kind of burnt out. If I went immediately, I’d probably do something stupid and end up flunking out. The second reason is that I haven’t got any idea where I actually want to go to college. Nonna wants me to go to school in New Jersey. Daddy wants me to go to OSU. But I don’t really want to go either place. The third is that I really want to do something wild and crazy before I settle down to college…maybe something as weird as actually figuring out what I want to do with my life before I start paying tens of thousands of dollars a year to start to train for it.”

I couldn’t argue with her on any of those points, other than the fact that the first and the third were almost the same argument. “So what would you do if you took a gap year. And that is what it would be. You know your father fully intends for you to go to college and be able to take over his empire one day.”

Sugar nodded. “I want to go to college. I’m not someone who cannot go to college. I just don’t…Tessa and Joe and Regina and Chase…they are all so enthusiastic about where they applied and anxious about hearing back. I sent off two applications. One to Cal Tech and one to Harvard, I only sent off those two because they are almost impossible to get into.”

“And even if you managed to get into Cal Tech, no way would your father let you go off to Pasadena by yourself.” I understood her reasoning on those two schools. “I still want to know how you plan to spend the next year if you don’t go to college?” 

“I was gonna talk to Momma Mercy and see if KAMA needed another dancer.” She finally admitted. 

I gave her another look. “You know Evans and Puckerman are as overprotective of the women in their lives as your father and uncles are. It will be work, hard work and Mercedes Jones will not go easy on you just because she likes you. S-Lo says that their practices and shows are run like military maneuvers.”

Sugar’s smile was beautiful. “I know. I won’t be able to get away with anything. Daddy spoils me rotten, Sue. I think I need some boundaries and time with rules before I go to college and have to figure it all out on my own.” 

“You go to OSU and MegaTon and El Gigante will be just as bad as Lady-Lips and Jailbird.” I said honestly. 

“Lauren might be, but Finn is very soft hearted and easily confused that makes him incredibly easy to manipulate.” She pointed out. 

Again, I agreed. I pulled down a soft green sweater that would look good on my elder daughter and held it up against her…gratified to see I was correct. “We’ll talk it over with your dad. If…and I mean If…you are working with Aretha, Lady Lips and JailBird…then maybe you can take a gap year. But only if your Dad is okay with it and only if it’s spent with them.”

We continued shopping and I found gifts for Don, Jeanie, Sugar, my mother-in-law and Becky. I was done. Sugar had a list a mile and a half long. She was just so happy to have friends…I did manage to get her to limit herself to fifteen bucks per person by reminding her that others couldn’t spend as much as her and they might feel bad. I sighed internally. She could be so like her father sometime, and yet she still had far too much kindness in her heart. When we got home, we did have the talk and Don agreed that if KAMA had a place for Sugar to dance with them, then she could take a year off. However, she would have to live with her cousin who had an apartment in a building with a doorman on the upper west side. They reached another compromise that I’d not have allowed, but it was a good idea. If the job with KAMA didn’t work out, she could stay in Lima for a year, but she would spend at least four hours every day volunteering at the Allen County Long-Term Family Shelter and she would need to take online classes to transfer them to whatever college so that she wouldn’t lose a year of education. 

The days between Thanksgiving and Christmas flew by. I was busy at work, Don was busy with a project he was trying to get off the ground. I may have given him a little inside information about a development on the other side of Lima that was about to get a major face lift and had the potential to bring new businesses and people to the city. From there he looked at the area and got the idea that a boutique hotel was needed nearby. “They are building houses for young couples and young families. Young couples and young families have family come visit. When we start going wherever to visit Sugar, we won’t want to stay in a hotel all the way across town.” It made sense to me. 

The last day before the winter break was interesting. There are always quite a few substitutes that day. I decided that over the summer, I was going to have create a substitute pool just for McKinley and have them come in for a couple of days of training. The ones that we had in place that day, half of them were regulars and they knew what they were doing. The other half couldn’t tell their asses from a hole in ground. There were so many write ups for stupid shit that could have and should have been handled in class, I finally had to get on the PA and threaten the entire school with detention that very afternoon to get order restored. I’d have done it too and they all knew it. There wasn’t a single write up or problem after lunch. 

Life was going smoothly over the next few days. Sugar and I did have to chime in on a small twitter kerfuffle over some entitled little, airbag having, want to be relevant loser who thought she could try and have a go at my Grammy Nominated Cheerio. That was not something I was going to allow. Especially when the millennial, Kewpie doll of a hipster was completely wrong for trying to get an autograph in those circumstances…not even Sue Sylvester is evil enough to hold up little kids needing to go to the bathroom. Adults maybe…seeing a grown man pee his pants was always kind of amusing. But not a child. Still other than getting to troll morons on the internet…the only reason I engaged in social media at all…things were going well. We flew out to Jersey on Tuesday morning. Tuesday evening, Don got a call from one of the managers of one of his subsidiaries. I went to stand to give him some privacy to take the call, but he pulled me in close and put the damn thing on speaker. “Mr. Motta, we have a problem…the Lima Mall is requesting information on how to cancel the contract with our security firm.” 

“What triggered this inquiry?” he asked as he threaded his fingers through my hair. 

The manager explained the incident at the Kay’s Jewelers that had happened just hours before. I reached over and grabbed my phone and saw I had missed a text from Chili or Chase, if I had to be technical about it. I looked at Don and as soon as the manager stopped trying to cover his own ass, I spoke up. “Who did your employees harass and hold at gun point?” 

“Three African American males. The truth is that they were justified, but given the current climate the mall is being very reactive.” The man on the phone continued after a long pause. 

I shook my head and showed Don the texts I’d exchanged with Chase, Rebecah Altman and Danica Jones. Don sat up angrily. “Harold…you’re fired. You’re fired and so are both of those security guards and when I get back to Lima…I’m replacing your entire training structure.” 

“What? Why the hell am I fired?” Harold shot back belligerently.

Don laughed meanly. “First of all because either you’re a racist prick and you lied to me, or you hire racist pricks who lied to you…either way, you aren’t a good manager for one of my companies. The victims of your security guards were three young men that I personally know well. They had done absolutely nothing fucking wrong. The second reason, I’m firing you is because I can. If we all get to treat other people exactly as we can because might makes right, then my might makes it my right to fire you and make sure that you never get another job in the security field ever again.”

Harry said some other shit that pissed me off because Jake was one of my kids. He was one of my students he was a damn good kid and if he had any record it was probably a sex crime. The only things he’d ever stolen in his life was other people’s girlfriends. “Harry…you know who I am?” I asked before Don could verbally eviscerate him. 

“I’m assuming that you are Mrs. Motta.” He said snottily. 

“I’m Sue Sylvester-Motta. I am the principal of the school Jake Puckerman attends and I was a teacher there when both Devon and Kevon Jones attended. Not one of those kids needs to steal shit. I can guarantee you that, considering that you almost ran that company of rent-a-cops into the ground, the Doctors Jones could have bought and sold your ass three times over before their daughter started having platinum selling albums. Now, you’ve lost control of your company and you’ve even lost your job with the company and since it was with cause, you won’t even get a golden parachute. Now you have a choice on how to handle this. One you can accept it gracefully…maybe go back to college and learn something that helps you become a better human being and a better businessman. Or, and this is the one I’m fairly sure that your under-endowment in the genital area and the ensuing asshole ego that accompanies that condition is going to make you chose, you can try and mess with Don and claim that the boys and young men deserved what they got and that those security guards were just doing their jobs. Now should you take the second option and, we’ll all just be real, you are stupid enough to do so…you will draw my direct ire directly onto you. I actually have space on my ‘Sue Sylvester will ruin your life’ list. I have space because I just moved a person from that list to my ‘Sue Sylvester HAS COMPLETELY RUINED your life’ list.”

“You can’t-“ 

“Ha. I ruined more lives by my early twenties than you’ve done in your whole life. I can and I will and should you try to get back at me, I am reasonably confident that you will prove as inept at revenge as you’ve proven at owning a business, running a business and pleasing a woman in bed.” I said cruelly. “You keep cheating on your wife with women young enough to be your daughter and they each leave you after one or two encounters.” 

“How do you know? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Harry tried to bluster. 

I rolled my eyes even if he couldn’t see it. “I married Don Motta. I am a firm believer that anyone who holds power in his companies could be a problem for him. I made it my business to learn all I could about every single one of you. I’m a problem solver. You’ve been solved. Now go away, because my husband has a look in his eyes that I want to take full advantage of.” 

He sputtered for a few seconds, but then Don hit a button and away he went. Two hours later Don got up and went to take care of his business. The next morning, I found out that the jerk who started the whole mess had been one of my former Cheerios. So, I blackballed him and let the entire network know that he was to have no support at all…ever, or they would join him in ostracization. The rest of our time in New Jersey was nice and unfettered by business obligations. We spent two days in Lima, enjoying Christmas with the ‘family’…Jeanie got way too many new clothes and toys…really she had more than enough, but Don made me thank them all graciously then Sugar and I took all her ‘old’ clothes and toys, meaning having been purchased in October, to Lady-Lip’s homeless shelter. Saturday, we flew to Miami for a family vacation. We all enjoyed ourselves. We have a ton of pictures of Jeanie enjoying the water and even more of the faces she made when she encountered the sand. She didn’t like beach sand at all. It was nice. 

There may have been one less, pants around his thighs, trying to sound black, white boy on the beaches after a prick hit on Sugar by suggesting that she leave Jeanie somewhere to be picked up and taken ‘wherever those f’ed up kids go to die’ and hook up with him. The Mottas had connections everywhere…I liked Miami…forensics were almost impossible to find after a shark enjoyed a late-night snack. I wasn’t serious…no really, I did not have the waste of humanity killed and his body turned into chum. When I’d jokingly said that to Cochran and Pillsbury after the break, I could only laugh to myself when I realize that they’d believed I’d had the kid killed more than they believed that I hadn’t. I couldn’t understand why people never believed me when I said things like that. The truth was that Sugar’s second cousin once removed, Antony, who also acted as her bodyguard when they traveled outside of Lima and who had a baby sister with Downs, had heard the exchange. Now, the punk hadn’t been seen on the beach again, but that may well have just been a coincidence.

I had accomplished a lot in twenty-fourteen. I was waiting on twenty-fifteen to see if my power base needed further consolidation before I forced the school board to begin to improve schools across the district. Personally, I was happy in a way that let me know for sure that there was a heaven and Jean had made it there. She was still looking out for my happiness, even when I didn’t know it. Don was suggesting maybe after Jeanie turned two we should adopt another DS baby…give them love when their parents wouldn’t or couldn’t; so, twenty-sixteen was looking pretty damn good for Sue Sylvester too.

Shelby Cochran PoV

My life was nothing at all like I thought it was going to be. I never won a Tony. I never won a Grammy. I never went bungee jumping. I never did so many of the things my twenty-year-old self had hoped and dreamed of. Instead I’d become a vocal and performance teacher and a world renowned one at that. I had become a mother and a wife. I had an interesting and expansive family. My parents, while in their later sixties were in good health. I had met and married a man who was everything I had ever hoped for and yet never believed I could find in a partner. He loved my daughter and all the accompanying souls that came with her every bit as much as I do. He treats her birth mother and aunt as well and with as much kindness as he treats his blood nieces. He behaves with her birth father and his loves with the same joyful playfulness that he exhibits with his younger siblings. Not that he didn’t have enough family of his own, David came from a boisterous Puerto Rican and Cuban family who enveloped me gently into the fold. 

In the time since I adopted my daughter, I had been adopted by her entire birth parent’s families. Through Beth, I had blessed with co parents, pseudo siblings and a new ‘aunt’. To be honest, since I hadn’t had much family growing up, I was very, very happy to have so many people who I considered and who considered me and Beth to be their family. They enveloped my mother and father as much as my parents were comfortable with, which basically involved them exchanging phone calls, emails and recipes with MeMaw, Gramma Mae and Bubbie Ruth and my dad having a golfing buddy in Benton whenever they came to town. 

Things were going wonderfully in my personal life. I was at the top of my game professionally. I had a better relationship with my ‘boss’ than I’d ever had before in my career. Sue Sylvester was a difficult woman to get close to, but once she considered you hers; it was forever. Since she took over the management of McKinley, it was running like clockwork and was very much a teacher’s dream school. Good teachers got all the administrative support they wanted and needed and bad teachers weren’t suffered. Sue even managed to retire or relocate three school secretaries that were, quite honestly, standing in the way of digitizing the student records. With the changes she put in place, the school was running efficiently and even the parking lot situation was better. Students and teachers fighting over the same parking spaces had never been a good idea and was now a thing of the past. 

Going into that winter break, I was organized. I had my lists of people who I had to get gifts for and knew just what I was getting for each of them, if I didn’t already have it ready and waiting by then. Some of them were easier than others. David’s nieces all got KAMA CDs and a nice sweater or top. His sisters got copies of SongBird along with a nice scarf or blouse. His brothers I gave a new tool or tie, depending on what they did for a living, I also gave them each an iTunes or Amazon gift card. The nephews got a GameStop gift card and a cool shirt. His mother loved bedding. It baffled David and his brothers why she loved getting new bed sets for her queen bed. But I kind of got it, my preference was shoes, hers was comfort. I got her a great eight piece reversible bed in a bag from Macys, a pretty pajama set, a sleep mask and a copy of both the KAMA ChristmaKah and debut albums. I loved lying in bed listening to music on a quiet morning. I thought she might enjoy the same. His father got a tie, a tool, a Blue ray DVD player, both KAMA CDs and a SongBird DVD and a nice pair of his pajamas…it took all of that to equal what I’d spent on his wife. As per his usual tradition, David bought every person a fifty or twenty five dollar gift card, depending on their age, and a card. I signed the cards too and we used his cards to tell everyone which gift went to which person. 

When it came to my side of things, shopping was much harder. I coordinated with Danica, Becah, Gabby, Quinn and Mercedes to make sure that none of us got Beth the same thing. I made sure that David, Quinn and Francine agreed to my twenty- five dollar limit on the gifts the four of us exchanged. I got each girl a nice dress. Thank goodness they were on sale, otherwise I’d have completely shattered my own rule. David and I each got each other something to open in front of the girls on Christmas Morning, but we also got each other a fun gift that was a little sexy and just between the two of us. We had a lot of fun with those gifts Christmas night. 

With such a big and well convoluted family we decided that we’d have to create our own traditions. We spent Christmas Eve in Columbus with the Martinez family. Come to find out my Mother-in-law, didn’t just like to receive bedding, it was her favorite thing to give as well. She gave Que and Frannie each a gorgeous, hand knitted afghan that was big enough for a full to queen sized bed. Beth got a pink and purple handmade afghan blanket as well as some pretty dresses. David and I got a new bedding set that was amazingly gorgeous and, ironically, the other set that I was going to get for her. The evening was fun. The food was amazing. The company was more than just pleasant. I found that I got along well with David’s sisters, the sisters-in-law were included in their number, and brothers. His father and I spent almost an hour singing some Motown classics together. He made me promise to introduce him to Mercedes if I ever get the chance. “I haven’t heard a voice like hers in a very long time. She makes the soul feel joy.” 

We went home stuffed to the gills and with enough food to make it through the New Year without ever having to cook. Beth had us up and at the Christmas tree before seven. Quinn loved the shimmery teal tank dress I got her and the Marc Jacobs purse that Frannie and David pooled their money to get her. It was a few seasons ‘old’ but it had classic lines and a light brown color so really, who would know. Francine’s burgundy, cowl neck, shift dress was a big hit too. Quinn had gotten her a pair of small, crisscross, hoop earrings that were cute and elegant. The leopard print infinity scarf David got for Frannie seemed a little more Mercedes than Francine, but she said that she had the perfect outfit to wear it with. David’s public gift had skirted the line just a little bit…and considering that the beautiful, floor length nightgown was real, quality silk, I was pretty sure that he had over spent the limit. 

But that was fine…we were only supposed to spend a hundred bucks each on Beth. I spend two and half times that and that was not counting her Christmas Eve pjs. But even with the massive amount of toys and clothes and shoes that we’d gotten her…her haul was nothing compared to all the stuff she got on Boxing Day. Of course, there were clothes and shoes in a wide variety of sizes, but there were also a large number of toys, none of which were the same as what she already had. We moms had coordinated well. David and I had gotten her a backyard play house set that would be built soon after the new year. Dani and Benton had gotten her a really cute kitchen set to go inside it. She got dress up clothes and costumes. She got the only kind of pet she was really ready for, an electronic one, from Hudson. A Kindle Fire for Kids from her Abah, Papa and MeDe. But the thing I think she enjoyed most was the room she was to share with Nikki whenever her big sister was in town. David and I were enjoying watching the two sisters interact when Sam handed us what felt like a shirt box with both of our names on the tag. 

I let David open it. Inside was a gold folder with a single word on it in silver. “Honeymoon," David read aloud. “You guys didn’t have to…” 

“We wanted to.” Puck cut him off. 

I pulled the folder from the box with shaking hands. Inside I found information about Mango Bay Resort and Spa in Barbados. “A whole week.” I breathed. I’d known that my co-parents would certainly do something to recognize my marriage. I’d even known that they would give me something for Christmas. But I hadn’t ever thought that it would be a week at an all-inclusive resort in a three hundred and seventy-five buck a night suite. 

“Yeah, we thought that you could spend your Spring Break having a nice, relaxing honeymoon somewhere nice and warm.” Mercedes gave us a happy smile. “We’re really happy for the two of you.” 

Puck quickly agreed. “Yup…you’re happy…we’re cool…but you wanna know what would make us really happy?” 

I chuckled and wiped at the tears on my cheeks. “Let me guess…our spring break is at a time when you three will be home and you are about to offer to keep Beth for us while we go and enjoy some fun in the sun?”

“Yeah.” Sam nodded. “Did you see there is a half day of sailing and snorkeling in there?” 

“Ohhh, and a couple’s massage.” Mercedes added. 

David and I just laughed. “You knew we’d say yes. That why there are three tickets to New York with a return to Dayton, and two to Barbados with a return to New York.”

“Well, we were hoping.” Puck said sheepishly…well almost…the cheeky grin kind of ruined the humble thing he was trying for. 

I knew that David was just as good with it as I was. “You guys can have Beth for the week. How are you going to handle classes?” 

“Oh, Tee and Jake are coming to New York that week. We’re going to chill with them and Beth around our class schedule. It’s gonna be really awesome too because Nikki’s out that same week. So, they will have plenty of time to play together and we’ll have every evening with them.” Sam started getting excited. 

Heck we were all excited. There may have been hugging and jumping and over all joy. The next few days flew by and before I knew it, we were in Manhattan getting ready for the family picture. The color of the year was blue. Coordinating sixteen women and girls in finding blues that looked good on twelve or thirteen different complexions and silhouettes that looked good on seven or eight different body types was almost ridiculously hard. But Ruth Mayzer was a shopping GURU. She was amazing. It was only a few hours before everyone had exactly the right dress for their coloring and body. Then there were the shoes. We all agreed on black heels for the over twelve ladies and black flats for those too young for heels. Somehow Sarah talked us all into letting her get a pair of pretty blue heels that she swore she’d wear more than any black ones. Then Tessa talked everyone into letting her get a pair of flat boots. They looked good, but they did set her apart. Which was a good thing for her. Beth, Mara, Maea and Nikki’s dresses all looked very similar, though in different shades of blue, which I thought wouldn’t work…but then, with the four of them on the very front row with Sloane standing in the middle…it was absolutely perfect. The guys all got new outfits as well, mainly though they all went with the same exact look; black or khaki slacks, white tee, blue sweater and black boots or shoes. 

While I could have stopped the photoshoot about two hours before it ended, I couldn’t deny that I loved the fact that they included me and David. They really could have just had us bring Beth, but to them my new husband and I were just as much a part of their family as our daughter was. After gaining a real understanding that no matter what you called Her, God knew what He was doing…I was not meant to be famous. Mercedes, Noah and Sam were laughing at the rest of us and pointing out that it had been a really easy shoot for them and they had to do the damn things every other month it seemed like. I would never have made it as a singer if that was part of the job. Over dinner, everyone talked and chatted. There were discussions about the next steps the fresh college graduates were about to undertake. Tessa and Jake talked with them and the current college students about picking and choosing the best college for their futures. Saul, Benton, Sander and George were discussing a property venture and if I was understanding it correctly, they were trying to figure out how they could bring David and I in on it and stay within their organization’s bylaws. Their wives were talking with Ruth about how she planned to travel a lot over the summer or something. Overall it was a great, family dinner and I left feeling cocooned in more family love than I’d ever had growing up in the small family I’d had. 

The next morning we slept in late and then went sight-seeing. As we were in the final cab of the day, my thoughts turned to the New Directions. We’d won Sectionals handily. The theme had been ‘Losing My Religion’, which had been very much open to interpretation. It had taken me some serious research to figure out the angle we were going to take. I’d given Roderick a lead with Hozier’s ‘Take Me to Church’. It was a song that seemed, on the surface to be advocating religion, but it really more of a condemnation of the current, traditional ideas of most organized religions. Then I had Chase and Tessa take the lead on Lenny Kravitz’s ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way’. Very few people realized that was actually a song about whether or not people were actually following the dictates of Christ. For the final song, I went with a song by the group who sang the theme song. But I decided to change ‘Driver 8’ completely. It was rearranged into a gospel influenced R&B song and had Unique handling the leading vocals. All four of the leads had taken first in several of the individualized categories. And, ultimately. we had a group set that we were all very proud of and that gave us a definitive win. 

We were in the preparatory stages for Regionals. With the theme being ‘Fame’, we’d again had a somewhat difficult time with song selection. There were lots of songs about the joys of fame and many others about the hazards. But one could also point out that there was a movie and remake of the original movie called FAME and one could well think to pull songs from the movies’ soundtracks or even from nineteen eighty and two thousand and nine, the years the movies were released. I was really not sure about any of those angles. It had taken an off handed comment from Jessica to help me decide to once again take one from each possible. It had worked for us at Sectionals and allowed us to show off a very wide range of musical knowledge and aptitude.

I picked Jane to lead a newer song that outlined the fame for fame's sake culture that was very prevalent for my students. Plus, Nickelback was just a favorite of mine and I knew ‘Rockstar’ backwards and forward making it the easiest of the three songs to rearrange for the female lead and group accompaniment. I had scoured both the movie and it’s recent remake’s soundtracks and other than the title song, none really seemed to be anything that worked for our show choir except some of the true classics from the newer one. But it just wouldn’t have worked for what we needed to do to win. And we never rested on our laurels. It would have been embarrassing to only be going to Nationals because we’d won the previous year. Instead I turned Air Supply’s ‘Lost in Love’ into a duet for Unique and Ryder. It was a song about the effects of the band’s fame on their home lives and loved ones. But there was a chance that that decision could possibly come back to bite me on the ass, but the likelihood of anyone seeing Unique on a stage and knowing that she was transitioning was so small as to be almost impossible. I knew her and sometimes I forgot. The last song was going to be an adaptation of Kanye West’s ‘Heartless’. I was still going back and forth between Joe and Jake for the leads on that one. It would be more along the lines of the Kris Allen cover, but I wanted it very much a soul song. Either young man would be great in the lead…then again a second duet wasn’t out of the question.

The way Sue ran the school, each club was given our budget at the beginning of the year. That allowed us to plan far ahead for anything that cost large amounts of money. For any show choir, the biggest costs were performance costumes, transportation and licensing fees. While I couldn’t pay the licensing fees until we determined our set lists, I had booked and paid for our tickets to Atlanta, where Nationals were being held that year, in September when there was a sale going on at Delta. By booking early and in a group, I’d been able to get the thirty tickets I’d needed for the choir and the six adults accompanying the twenty-four teenagers for just under six grand and that was round trip. I’d booked the hotel then as well. Nine rooms for four nights at the Hilton Garden Inn, just two blocks from the Georgia World Congress Center where the competition was to take place, cost us less than five thousand. So, it had taken me a fifth of my budget for the year, which was honestly only so large because it included three years of our portion of the prize money from winning the NHSSCA national competition…but we were all booked for our biggest transportation expense. 

Before Sectionals, I had worked with Chase, Spenser, Alistair and Jake to pick out the costumes for Sectionals, Regionals, and both rounds of Nationals. Doing so early had allowed me to order using the ‘in bulk’ discounts that the New Directions would not have qualified for otherwise. Since I’d ordered the clothing and shoes early, we had all four costumes including shoes for under ten thousand for twenty-six kids. I always ordered one just in case costume in each gender. So, we were a full month out and had already ordered, arrived and altered our outfits. The young ladies would each wear a stretch satin tank style dress with bold silver foil swirl design. The bodice was capped with band of solid black satin and for a little extra swing and swirl the dress was finished with a Titan red petticoat and a fish line hem. The guys were in black shirts and slacks with suspenders and ties that matched the girls’ dresses. To give them a pop of the red as well, we’d meticulously painted the hardware of the suspenders and added red leather belts. The look actually worked very well. Two of the things I loved most about the New Directions were the fact that I never had to shoulder the work of the show choir myself. they always chipped in and they were already to make decisions with me. Granted as their teacher and advisor, the final decision rested with me, but I knew that they were being prepared to lead themselves too. That made the educator in me very happy. The other thing I loved about the NDs was that I never had to explain to them how to draw audiences in. They loved what they were doing so much that telling them to ‘give me a look so optimistic it could cure cancer’ would have been redundant and therefore it was completely unnecessary.

Our choreography was only waiting on the final determinations of the leads; the moves that the entire choir would do had been ironed out. Sugar, Jessica and Jake were as good at determining our staging and dance moves as Brittany, Mike and, amazingly enough Lauren, had been and on their worst days they all out shined Dakota Stanley on his best day. They had a gift for creating elaborately simple choreography that looked deliciously complex and filled the stage despite our numbers, most importantly they did all that while keeping it easy for all of them to learn. Best of all Sugar, Jessica and Jake were in almost constant contact with Brittany and Mike so it was really like I had five choreographers at any given time. Jessica was hoping to follow Brittany into a dance school. Her parents, however, had been determined that she go to a ‘real school’ so I had helped her find and apply to five actual colleges with extensive, world class dance programs. She was hoping to get into either Oberlin or the University of Arizona. I was a little worried about what I felt were her parent’s unrealistic expectations of her, but by the same turn, I hoped that I was underestimating the dancer. 

The rest of our time in New York went by so very quickly. When the rest of the family went back to Lima, David and I took Beth for a visit to my parents’ home in Cincinnati. It was a lovely weekend, but when it was over, it was back to school for all three of us. We’d had a remarkable two-thousand-fourteen. I hoped and prayed that two thousand and fifteen was at least as good.

 

Joe Hart PoV

Many people had a very hard time understanding how I could so celebrate God’s place and works in my life. For the most part, they listened to other’s interpretations of the Bible rather than reading it for themselves. I had faith that God was Lord and Jesus was His son, the resurrection and the light to illuminate the way to Heaven. I followed the ten commandments and the laws Christ laid out for us during His three years of ministry. I took care to never follow anyone telling me to hate or judge. I loved my family and I loved my friends like they were family. I treated every human being equally and tried to treat them all with God-like love. Knowing that I was doing my very best to live the type of life God wanted of those who said they loved Him gave me leave to celebrate my religion. 

Besides, everywhere I looked I found blessings. He had blessed me with an amazing family, wonderful friends and, at seventeen, He had already showed me the woman he set forth to walk this earth by my side. A lot of people were surprised that Tessa and I had gotten together. I knew that there were those who liked to call her the Mary Magdalene to my Teen Jesus. Very few of those people knew anything about Tessa other than she was a Cheerio and had red hair and was Puck and Jake’s sister. So, we didn’t let their insinuations bother us. But I could tell that something was getting to my beloved girlfriend as we neared Christmas break. I had worried that she thought less of me for listening to my father’s advice on enjoying some small bit of the pleasures of the flesh without going into that ocean all the way. After fretting and maybe moping a little, my mother pointed out that the only way I would know anything was to ask Tessa. 

It took me another two days to find to courage to ask her if it was something that I had done that had her so off kilter. I found out exactly what was on her mind, all of it. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You’re perfect and you’re so good. I guess I just…I’m so not good enough for you. Seriously, I have mean, evil sarcastic thoughts like most guys our age have spontaneous erections. I guess, I had this idea in the back of my head that even though I was falling in love with you, some day you would realize that I’m so not good. I mean, I’m not a bad person…but I’m not bone deep, good like you. When I wake up in the morning, my first thoughts, and usually the second ones, are almost always selfish.” 

It took a lot not to laugh. There was something very funny and yet very sexy about Tessa Altman when she got into one of her rants. “Tessa, you aren’t perfect. Neither am I. My first thought every morning, at least for the last year or so…have been of you. They haven’t been selfish unless the thought of bringing you to your passion’s crest is selfish…which it may be…because I really love watching you tumble into pleasure. But then I get up and I pray that the Lord will give me strength to live a right life. It is a daily battle. No one is as good as you think I am and, while your belief in me makes me feel beautiful, I know I’m not anywhere close to that good.” 

“But you are. You volunteer at your church. You volunteer at the family shelter. You help counsel other students in the God Squad at school. You never miss a Sunday of going to church…I pretty much changed religions just to not have to get up early on Sunday morning.” 

I rolled my eyes in exasperation. “Tessa, you are the one who told me that they needed more volunteers at the family shelter. A fact you only know because you volunteer there too. You don’t volunteer at my church…because you think most of them are sanctimonious blowhards…but you are always there whenever any of the New Directions need advice or even just an understanding ear. So maybe you have ‘mean’ thoughts, but unless someone is mean to you first, they usually stay in your head. But let me understand what you just meant by that five-minute word salad of self-doubt and recrimination. You thought that one day I was going to decide that you weren’t good enough and I was going to walk away. But now that you know that I’m planning a future with you because I know that not only are you good enough, but you are better, because maybe good doesn’t come as easy to you as it does to me but you still do so many good things. I love you. I am deeply truly in love with you and I am secure in the fact that you love me too. You are my present and my future. It is every man’s right and obligation to secure their future. For me that means going to college where you go…believe it or not, most colleges have at least decent theology and music departments. Your major is slightly more complex. So, I’m going where you go. Now, if you should happen to decide to go somewhere with a great theology department, I’ll be very happy. But it’s not imperative. We can make our future anywhere. Now, you were patient and kind with me when I had my moment of doubt in my worth to you, so I’m returning the favor. But know this, if it happens again, if you allow yourself to doubt my love for you again once you are fully and truly mine…well, I’ll just have to punish you won’t I?” I asked her with a naughty grin on my face. 

I loved the look that came over her face whenever I even thought the word punishment. It was like she really, really wanted to feel my hands turning her ass pink. I had to admit there was a part of me that was just as enamored of the thought. In moments like that I was always grateful that as religious as my parents were and as much as they raised me to live in God’s word, they had always made sure to remind me that God didn’t set unreachable or unattainable rules for living a right life. When I’d awoken covered in my own seed, my father had explained what was happening to my body and even explained masturbation to me. He’d never made it seem wrong or disgusting. So, I took myself in hand when I needed to. Very often it was to fantasies of Tessa’s bottom across my lap and me turning it the prettiest shade of red. It was very good to know that she loved that thought as much as I did. 

She cuddled into me and somehow I knew that we hadn’t quite reached the root of her anxiety. “What else is bothering you, Tee?” 

It another half hour of wheedling, teasing and using kisses as incentives before, finally, Tessa shrugged. “I’m not…it…okay, I lied about how many schools I applied to. Well not really lied, but I didn’t tell you about all the ones I sent over Thanksgiving break.” 

“Let me guess, you sent them to all the schools on that ‘Best Colleges for Creative Writing Majors’ list you found online didn’t you?” I sighed. “Tessa, I really wish that you could have the same faith in yourself that others do. If you weren’t just that good a writer, do you really think Coach Sylvester would have allowed you control of the Muckraker? Do you think she would have restarted the literary magazine and given you control over it? She may not be a nice person…sometimes I wonder that she isn’t actually a minor demon sent to earth to plague mankind…but she is really, really, really good at seeing and nurturing talent in others. Then helping them cultivate that talent in themselves to make their dreams come true. Any college would be glad to have you and none of them are going to turn you down with Sue Sylvester in your corner.” 

She nodded. Then she shook her head. Then she nodded again. She was so damn beautiful to be so freaking adorable. “I guess…I just have some issues. I mean, when I was little, I kind of…internalized Alex leaving. Kids are really mean little fuckers and if you had to hear as often as I did that it was probably my fault my mom had left or that if I was prettier or smarter or better or whatever she would have stayed…you’d probably have a few issues too, ya know.”

“I know. But I want you to know…it wasn’t anything you lacked that made your birth mother leave you and your dad. That was all on her. Some women just aren’t meant for motherhood. It is better that they don’t have kids rather than abandon them later or worse abuse them. I’m guessing Alex was always insecure in her relationship with George because she knew that she wasn’t first in his heart. She tried to make herself more to him by giving him you. And because your dad is an epic father, all she really did was push herself further down his hierarchy. She couldn’t take being third or fourth. She had other issues that had nothing to do with you.”

“Yeah, I know that now, but these things don’t just disappear.” She sighed. “I thought that I was over it. But apparently, it snuck up on me.” 

“Yeah…insecurities will do that. I sometimes worry that you will get fed up with all my ‘religiosity’ and find someone who can give you what you need…” I trailed off. 

She laughed at me. So sensitive, my Tessa. “Joe, you don’t just give me everything I need…you give me things I never thought I wanted let alone needed. You give me hope that if someone as good as you sees something in me to love that I really am worthy of good things.” 

“Tessa you are worthy of all the things.” I told her honestly and sincerely.

“You will never know how much it means to me that you don’t just say things like that…you really mean them.” She cuddled into my side. 

“I love you, Tessa Jane Altman. Of course, I mean it when I say you are good and special.” I pressed a kiss to her hair. We talked more working through issues, working through non-issues, just listening to the voice of our love until it was time for me to go home. The next day was the last day of school before the break. The day was interesting. There were a lot of teachers who were already checked out and I guess a lot of kids forgot they weren’t dealing with Figgins anymore. Coach Sylvester came on before lunch and told us all that she could and would keep everyone for a two hour detention after school if she got one more unnecessary write up. Not even Wayne Nelson was willing to risk that. After school, Tessa and I said goodbye. We wouldn’t see each other again until after the New Year. While her family was only going away for the weekend, my family was heading to Missouri. 

Every year the Hargis siblings and their families all come together at Christmas. Great Grandfather Hargis had made sure that the farm he owned there would not leave the family. Since the place was huge and not as associated with his scandals and sins as the Oklahoma properties, that was where we all came together. Our family wasn’t leaving until after church Sunday afternoon, but since Tessa wouldn’t be home until late Sunday, we knew we wouldn’t see each other until after the holidays. Before we parted I handed her the Christmas gift I’d gotten her. No one would expect me to have gotten her what I did. But I loved seeing her in the pajamas she’d worn at our sleepover the night of the AMAs. So, I got her something I wanted to see her in even more than those. The pale ivory chiffon and satin pajamas I’d found for her online at Nordstrom were a pretty camisole and shorts set that I knew would be beautiful on her and make her feel pretty. I found that I hoped she liked it almost as much as I hoped that I would someday see her in it.

After my heart left for Ann Arbor, I was expecting to have a quiet weekend. All that I had planned was to take over Tessa’s shift volunteering at the Family Shelter on Saturday. There was absolutely nothing in my plans for what happened as I headed towards my parent’s van after finishing the five hours I spent helping with preparing and serving dinner to the twenty-two families who called the shelter home. Aidan Harding and I had been friendly though not especially close during my first two years at McKinley High, but since he had dated Tessa while we were friends and choirmates, I could certainly identify him easily. There he stood against the front of his car, parked next to mine. I looked him over. He’d cut his hair into a haircut that reminded me of Eddie Haskell. He had gained quite a bit of muscle mass. I suppose that was a necessity when playing college ball. I walked over and said hello. 

“Well, I guess you’re happy now?” he said in return. 

I gave him a long look but chose not to pretend I didn’t understand why he’d made that comment. “Yes, I’m pretty happy now. My life has been blessed.” Yet neither did I explicitly acknowledge the reason for it either.

He rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean. Or do you really think that I didn’t see you always looking at Tessa…wanting her…wishing she was with you. I guess you’re really happy now. Did you even wait a full day after you found out we’d broken up to ask her out?”

“Actually, as I understand it, I waited almost three months. Your relationship with Tessa ended at her older brother’s wedding, very sensitive move that one, by the way. I didn’t ask her out until September nineteenth, two days’ shy of a full three months later.” I stated calmly. I was a little shocked that Aidan seemed angry at me. He’d been the one to initiate his and Tessa’s breakup. “but from the perspective of when I found out that you two were going to ‘just be friends’,” the implied quotation marks were almost palpable. “I waited just about a month.”

Aidan glared at me. “I love Tessa. I hated having to break things off with her. She means the world to me and she and I have already planned to get back together after college.” 

I looked at him and said nothing until I was sure that he was done with the unwitting lies coming from his mouth. “I will admit that yeah, you probably do love Tessa…but you don’t love her enough. You don’t love her the way she deserves to be loved. You don’t love her enough to value her and her family as much as you do your own. The love you have for Tessa is an immature, selfish love. That kind of love can never last.” 

“Oh please…we’re teenagers. All our loves are immature and selfish. That doesn’t mean they can’t last. And what do you mean I didn’t value her and her family as much as my own? I was always helping her with Triple S and then Mara, Maea and Sloane.” He said defensively.

“Mama-Cedes, Sam and Puck have been together for the better part of three years. Santana, Artie and Brittany almost as long, Kurt and Blaine, Tina and Mike for even longer. They all got together as teenagers, do you think they would still be together if they had an immature, selfish love?” I pointed out. “And yeah you helped her babysit…sort of. If you were such a big help, why was she so shocked the first time I helped her change the babies. If you cared so much for her family, why did you never make time to go with her to any of her family events, I know that she asked you to. If you valued Tessa so much, why did you let your mother treat her like shit for decisions you both made. You know that is not a worthy way to behave for any man to another person yet alone the woman he claims to love.” 

“I do love Tessa.” He all but shouted. 

“But not more than you love yourself.” I shot back. “There is no way on God’s great green earth that I would let my family bully me into walking away from her. You did it for an easier time at college. Did you even try talking to your grandparents and sticking up for her, the woman you say you want to get back together with and, I’m assuming, marry one day? Of course not. Your Grandparents probably would have respected you for being a man and respected the love Tessa gave you so freely that you didn’t even have the fortitude to return in full measure.”

“Tessa gave me everything in full measure. You must hate knowing that she isn’t still ‘pure’. That she gave me something that you can never have.” 

I couldn’t help but laugh. If I looked at things the way most of the men of my church did, maybe I would have felt that way. But I was raised by two people who, while very religious and mainly conservative, they didn’t believe in the patriarchy inherent in the way our religion was usually practiced. “If you are referring to her virginity, that was Tessa’s to give. I’m kind of grateful that she isn’t still a virgin. You have her pain. When she and I are finally together, I won’t have to hurt her. All we will share is pleasure.” 

“That just shows that you don’t know Tessa at all, she likes pain.” Aidan threw out as if it mattered. 

I just gave him an unconcerned shrug. “If that’s true, then we will have a lot of fun exploring that avenue of pleasure too. But it still doesn’t matter to me that she gave you her virginity. I’ve heard from my father and uncles how much being with a virgin can hurt her…it’s the blessing and curse of all the men in my family. I never wanted to do that to the woman I love and now thanks to you I will never have to.” 

“Really,” he rolled his eyes. “I suppose that you think you’ll be able to satisfy her…give her the things she wants and needs…I bet you are still saving yourself for marriage. But that’s fine. You’ll see how hard it is to keep up a long-distance relationship when you’re still here or in some backwater, religious college and Tessa is in some real school who knows where. She never wanted to go to the same school as me. She thought that it was weird that Sam, Mercedes and Puck are going to school together.”

I’m sure if I were as good as Tessa was convinced I was, I’d have been able to keep the smug smile off my face and the next words hidden in my heart of hearts as I should have…but I was no angel. “Actually, Tessa and I have applied to a lot of the same schools and she and I are both very hopeful that we both get into her first choice. We’ve talked about it a lot.”

His jaw was scraping the asphalt. “There is no way in hell…” 

“Yeah…not hell…heaven. You may have loved Tessa as much as you are currently capable…but I prayed for her. God put her in this world to be the other half of me. I knew that and I made sure that what is between us is rock solid. You see I took the time to make sure that my family and hers got along. No, not just got along…that they’ve integrated almost as much as Mama-Cedes, Sam and Puck’s families have come together to make up her family. I took the time to meet her extended family. The Jones aunts, I met them. They like me. Tessa didn’t want to go to college with you because, even if she couldn’t admit it to herself because she loved you with her whole heart, she knew you are still a little boy who was playing at being her man.” 

Angrily he pushed himself up off the car and stalked towards me. I said a quick prayer that the Lord would cloak me in His full armor. I wouldn’t start anything, but if he started it…I wasn’t going down without a fight. “I should kick your ass.” He growled. 

“You’re welcome to try. But not only do I not think you’ll manage it, but eventually Tessa will find out. Then you won’t even be able to claim to be her friend. But you’ve not been holding up your end of the friend bargain, have you? You don’t email or text her back and whenever she calls you, you’re too busy to talk to her for more than a minute. So if you hit me now, you’ll just be speeding along the process of killing even the friendship you two had.” I said honestly. He looked surprised, like he was shocked that I knew how he was behaving with regards to my girlfriend. “Tessa and I talk. We share pretty much every thought that goes through our heads. You should know better than anyone how honest and forthright Tessa is in her relationships. Besides, having a friendship that is hidden from your significant other isn’t healthy for either relationship.”

“Whatever.” Aidan grumbled. But he did back off. “Look, I…I do care about Tessa. I love her, whether you believe it or not.” 

“Aidan, you love Tessa…but you still have things about her that you think you can or should change. Tessa doesn’t want to have kids. But rather than just being like ‘okay, Ethan can carry on the family name’ you convinced yourself that eventually she would change her mind. That’s the biggest example, but there were others. How can you build a future with someone when you enter the relationship wanting to change fundamental parts of them?” 

“So you don’t want to change her? She’s pretty much Jewish now. She’s a sexual deviant of the first order…nothing that she won’t try and if she likes it, she wants to do it all the time. She expects you to spend way too much time with her family. None of that even fazes you?” he threw out. 

“No, I don’t want to change any of the things about Tessa that makes her. Yeah, she is learning about Judaism…she helps me understand a different aspect of my own religion…after all Christianity is rooted in Judaism. Tessa and I are exploring our sexuality together, as far as we can until marriage, there is nothing she has put forth that I’ve found abhorrent…nothing she could have done or wants to do could ever make me think less of her. Our families have spent Thanksgiving together, are planning on spending Easter together. We’ll blend where we can and take turns where we can’t. I love her family from Bubbie Ruth, MeMaw and Gramma Mae all the way down to Amara, Amaea and Sloane. She loves my family, she’s even kind to my sister Mary and I want to smother Mary with a pillow half the time. Like I said…you had the chance to have a real relationship with Tessa, but you chose to let your mother treat her like the whore of Babylon. You were both in that bed. Yeah, you made lip service to defending Tessa, but you never forced the issue. You took the easy way out, because you figured you were in enough trouble. From then on, you were lucky for the rest of the time you had with her. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my family has a really long drive tomorrow. I need to get the van checked out and gassed up.” 

Aidan gave me a hard look and turned away. I let him leave. I’d not said anything that wasn’t true. If he didn’t like it, well, the only people we can actually change are ourselves. I completed the things I needed to do and that night when I talked to Tessa, I simply told her that Aidan and I had had a long talk outside the family shelter. Thankfully she let it go at that. We had to be up early the next morning, so I was asleep by ten. We pulled out of Lima as soon as church let out. We stopped for lunch on the road and arrived in Neosho, Missouri at the Hargis family farm at half past ten that night. The next five days were filled with family…lots and lots of family. Billy James Hargis had had four children, each of his children had had three or more, each of his grandchildren had had more than a few kids of their own. Thankfully the ‘farmhouse’ was huge and there were three really large ‘bunkhouses’ and a couple of cottages on the property. There were beds for everyone. My family was really nice. Despite how textbook, Christianity based religious Mom and Dad were, there was a huge variety of religions in the family. Uncle Charlie had decided to convert to Buddhism and his kids were raised in that faith. Great Uncle Billy James had been a Christian preacher too, but after he died, one of his daughters went atheist, another agnostic and his son had become a Taoist. My other Uncle Lee was a Muslim and my Aunt Karen and her family practiced Wicca, which wasn’t exactly a religion, but it wasn’t exactly not one either. Maybe that was why my parents were so much less restrictive in how they taught us to be good Christians than the rest of the people in our congregation. 

Over the next four days there were discussions about all the goings on and happenings in everyone’s lives over the year. On Christmas morning, we all met up in the ‘farmhouse’ to exchange gifts. Every person got exactly one gift. Everyone put their contributions to the gift pool in after Christmas, then over the course of the next year Great Aunt Heather and her husband went shopping and bought everyone a gift. Those two had the uncanny ability to fine everyone a gift that usually turned out to be the perfect gift. They had gotten me my guitar the Christmas after my tenth birthday. That Christmas I got a set of two monogramed YETI thirty ounce ramblers. A pretty awesome gift for a soon to be college student. I was looking forward to having my ice water stay cold all day.

Then later on, while everyone was busy talking and showing off their cool gifts, my Great Grandmother Betty pulled me to the side. “Joseph, last night I had a dream and the Lord put something on my heart. She reached a strong, but old and thin hand into her pocket. “This is the ring Billy James gave me in nineteen fifty-one. It had been his mother’s before him. I gave Billy James the Third the one his daddy gave me to replace this one when he got money. But I always liked this ring best. It won’t make a modern girl a good engagement ring…it’s too small to let her know your serious. But it might be a good token of your esteem or a promise ring. In my dream, God showed me your Tessa. When I was young, I had hair that same shade of red. She’s a beautiful girl with a better heart than she will probably ever realize. You’ll know when the time is right to give this to her.”

“GammyBee, why are you? Why now?” I asked with a tight throat, afraid I knew the answer. 

She just smiled and patted my cheek. “I’m seventy-nine years old, life last and nothing happen, I’ll still be up and about to dance at your wedding. But when God commands, I listen. He wanted me to give you that today, so there you go.” Her eyes twinkled as she smiled, “now, show me what your pretty lil redhead gave you for Christmas.” I pulled the gift I’d been wearing since before I left the bunkhouse that morning. My Christmas gift from Tessa had been a really masculine and all together very nice cross. It was made of black ion plated stainless steel and had a small cross of black diamond chips inset in the metal. It hung on a black metal chain just long enough to hang down into my shirt. “Oh, I like it Joe. She’s got a good eye that one.” She teased. We talked a little while longer and I told her about how we were all getting together with Tessa’s whole family at Easter. “See if there is room for me and Ms. Lilly at that table. I want to meet your heart’s family.”

I chuckled. “GammyBee…I will come and get you if you need me to.” I laughed. “Because if Mama-Cedes and Mrs. Dani hear the you wanted to come and I didn’t make sure you were there and felt welcome, Mama-Cedes would take me to the carpet for real. They live for company.” 

“Okay, it’s a date then. We’ll work out the details later.” She smiled big and bright. “Now, tell me all about this Unique your sister has been all up in arms about. You know Mary don’t have much love in her heart considering that she gave her body around so freely. Back in my day when a girl was a little loose in the drawers, we said that she had a lot of love to give.”

“Mom keeps saying that she’s just overreacting to all that happened and soon she’ll get her mind right.” I sighed. 

GammyBee rolled her bright blue eyes. “Yeah, we’ll see. She is Billy James' blood. She should just acknowledge that and move on.” I guess that was that, because she turned the subject back to finding out all about my friends. It was a great holiday. As always happened, we almost hated to go. We got back just in time for me to go to the pot luck with Tessa, Nic and Eli came with us and they had fun with Sarah, Stacey and Stevie. I think Eli had a crush on Stacey, that was really cute. The rest of the holiday passed pretty quickly. We cleaned the house from top to bottom and had the traditional good luck foods on New Year’s. As I was eating the black eye peas Mom only cooked on that one day of the year, I couldn’t help but think they had certainly brought me luck in twenty-fourteen. I hoped they would do the same the next year too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prayers & Well Being to all my fellow Americans.  
> All my friends tell me that we have to give Trump a chance.  
> I reply that I did & he chose to appoint Bannon, a racist, misogynist asshat as his chief adviser. I'm willing to give him a chance...not a pass. 
> 
> Well on to happier thoughts.  
> Let me know how you like the chapter. I love writing for Sue, but I think softer Sue may have been a little too soft. Do you agree...disagree...discuss.  
> What should the KAMA kids do to celebrate her nuptials?  
> How do you think I did on Joe's voice?  
> Drop me a comment. 
> 
> Folle Sagesse will resume next week. 
> 
> TTFN,  
> Anni (Wearing a safety pin on her blouse ever single day for the next fifteen hundred and ten days)

**Author's Note:**

> Do not engage in cruelty to mythological animals.  
> FEED the Plot Bunnies.


End file.
